AUSTIN, TX — Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), authored by Senate Local Government Chair Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), with House Sponsor Terry Wilson (R-Georgetown), achieved final passage with unanimous support in both Senate and House chambers during the Second Called Special Session of the 89th Legislature. SB 3, a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, filed in direct response to the devastating July 4th flood disaster in Kerr County and Central Texas, now heads to the Governor’s desk to become law, taking immediate effect. The bill mandates the installation of proven outdoor warning siren technology to alert residents and visitors when flood danger is imminent, closing a critical public safety gap in Central Texas’ “Flash Flood Alley,” where youth camps, RV parks, and recreational areas remain highly vulnerable to flash flooding, often lacking reliable cellular service for emergency alerts.

“These flood warning siren system bills are needed in Texas’ river watersheds per the direction of Gov. Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick and Speaker Burrows, to be installed by next summer. said Sen. Bettencourt. “The legislature is resolute that the tragic river flooding of July 4th, and others like it, will not be repeated in areas where flash flood sirens could make a difference and save lives.”

Key Provisions of SB 3:

• Risk Identification — Directs the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to identify flash flood–prone areas with histories of fatalities, dense residential, or recreational use.
• Requires Local Gov’t’s to install and maintain outdoor flood sirens under TWDB rules.
• Grant Program — Establishes a state-funded grant program, administered by the Office of the Governor, to assist with installation and maintenance costs, with flexibility to delegate to other agencies for rapid deployment.
• Minimum Standards — Ensures sirens, sensors, gauges, backup power, and activation protocols meet uniform, life-saving standards.
• Estimated capital investment is approx. $50 million needed to cover priority zones.

“Testimony after testimony confirms a flood warning siren system are effective, affordable, and above all, lifesaving, getting people to higher ground immediately. Bettencourt added.

SB 3 is apart of a broader package of Senate disaster preparedness bills: SB 1 and SB 2 by Chair Charles Perry and SB 5 by Chair Joan Huffman, currently awaiting final passage in the House, with several House bills making its way through the special session, to provide Texans with lifesaving flood response and recovery infrastructure.

“These bills together will make a lasting difference for Texas families, because I pray that we never again have to have a hearing at the Texas Senate where 27 young women were basically eulogized as “Heaven’s 27”, for the lack of a warning system, lack of a camp evacuation system, and lack of the obvious that you have to move people to higher ground immediately.” Senator Bettencourt concludes on the final passage of SB 3.

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