By Hochberg H.B. No. 2786 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the designation by the Texas Transportation Commission 1-3 and the Texas Department of Transportation of flood evacuation 1-4 routes. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Article 6673l, Revised Statutes, is amended to 1-7 read as follows: 1-8 Article 6673l. Flood Evacuation Routes. (a) The Commission 1-9 shall adopt rules providing for the designation of flood evacuation 1-10 routes in counties covered under Sec. 240.901, Local Government 1-11 Code and any other counties the Commission may deem appropriate. 1-12 To qualify as a flood evacuation route, the roadway along the 1-13 length of the route must be above the elevation of the 100-year 1-14 flood event as determined at the time of the designation of the 1-15 route. 1-16 (b) The Department shall adopt a memorandum of understanding 1-17 with each affected county designating the appropriate flood 1-18 evacuation route or routes for that county. In the event that no 1-19 existing roadways meet the criteria established pursuant to 1-20 Commission rules or the Department determines that there are 1-21 insufficient qualifying roadways to serve the safety needs of the 1-22 county's residents, the memorandum shall also include a plan for 1-23 the upgrading of existing roadways or construction of new routes 2-1 sufficient to meet those needs and be in compliance with the rules 2-2 of the Commission. If the designation of the 100-year flood event 2-3 is subsequently altered in a manner that a portion of a designated 2-4 flood evacuation route is no longer in compliance with the 2-5 Commission rules, the Department and the county shall adopt a plan 2-6 designed to restore compliance to the route. 2-7 (c) The Commission may adopt rules providing for financial 2-8 assistance to counties from the State Highway Fund for the 2-9 upgrading or construction of roadways designated as flood 2-10 evacuation routes under memoranda of agreement adopted pursuant to 2-11 this article, regardless of whether the roadway is otherwise 2-12 designated as eligible for state financial assistance. The 2-13 Department may enter into a contract with a county covered under 2-14 this article providing for either entity to oversee or conduct the 2-15 construction or upgrading of a roadway pursuant to this article. 2-16 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 2-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-21 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-22 passage, and it is so enacted.