BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center                                                                                                        S.B. 181

81R828 MSE-D                                                                                                             By: Gallegos

Intergovernmental Relations

3/31/2009

As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

After a natural disaster, essential personnel have difficulty reentering the affected area to begin restoration of normal operations in an efficient and timely manner.  This bill addresses this by setting up an official protocol for reentry.

As proposed, S.B. 181 authorizes the orderly reentry of essential personnel into an area evacuated during a natural disaster.  The bill requires the governor, in cooperation with the Department of Public Safety, to establish by rule the uniform reentry procedures, for essential personnel who can be admitted, prioritize the order of reentry for those personnel, and establish methods to authenticate the identity of those personnel.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the governor of the State of Texas in SECTION 1 (Section 418.018, Government Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.   Amends Section 418.018, Government Code, by adding Subsection (d), to require the governor, in cooperation with the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas (DPS), to establish by rule uniform reentry procedures for essential personnel entering a disaster area or a stricken or threatened area that has been evacuated.   Requires the procedures to authorize the  orderly reentry of essential personnel according to the critical functions provided by the personnel in restoring normal operations to the area following an evacuation; prioritize the order of reentry for the essential personnel, including emergency responders, search and rescue personnel, infrastructure and utility repair personnel, official damage assessment personnel, health care providers, and businesses essential to the return of residents; and establish methods to authenticate the identity of the essential personnel authorized to reenter the area.

SECTION 2.   Requires the governor, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act and in cooperation with DPS, to adopt rules to administer Section 418.018(d), Government Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 3.   Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.