Big News on Water Funding at the Capitol

Two key leaders in the Texas Legislature have filed major proposals that could dedicate $1 billion every year to support water projects across Texas. This money would be in addition to the $2.5 billion of one-time funding which is in both the House and Senate budgets.

To make this happen, they are proposing constitutional amendments. In Texas, this is the only way to automatically set aside state funding for a specific purpose, like water, and protect it from shifting priorities in future legislative sessions. For these amendments to become reality, they’ll need two-thirds approval from lawmakers and voter approval in November.

Here’s a quick look at the two approaches:

• Senator Charles Perry’s proposal dedicates 80% of the funding to creating new water supplies, including projects like desalination, aquifer storage, and water reuse.
• Representative Cody Harris’s proposal allows for more flexible spending, supporting a wider range of needs like repairing old pipes, upgrading infrastructure, water conservation, and public education on water use.

Both of these proposals are significant steps toward securing long-term, reliable water funding for Texas, and TNLA is actively monitoring and engaging on your behalf as these ideas move through the legislative process.