Senate adopts conference report on SB 5 to fund FEMA match, sirens, forecasting and DSHS positions

The Texas Senate on Sept. 4 voted to adopt the conference committee report on Senate Bill 5, directing state funds to cover FEMA match costs and purchase flood-response equipment, and to authorize additional staffing at the Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

Senator Hoffman, explaining a companion resolution to expand conference committee jurisdiction, said the conference committee report would appropriate $200 million to cover the projected 25% nonfederal match for FEMA reimbursements related to the July 4 flooding event, $50 million for flood sirens, gauges and related equipment for Central Texas, $28 million to improve weather-forecasting accuracy and timeliness of flood warnings, and about $5.1 million to authorize full-time positions at DSHS.

Hoffman described the funding source as the Economic Stabilization Fund (the Rainy Day Fund). The senator said the Senate had sought additional items earlier in negotiations — including $20 million for water-rescue training at a facility called Storm Ranch and funding for interoperability — but that those items were not agreed to by the House and therefore were not included in the conference report.

The Senate first adopted Senate Resolution 85, a procedural suspension to permit broader conference committee jurisdiction related to SB 5, and then approved the conference committee report by roll call; both votes were recorded as 26 ayes, no nays.

Hoffman said some elements remain for interim work, including consideration of water-rescue training and interoperability solutions. He noted the governor's office has grant authority and roughly $10 million plus unexpended grant authority to address interoperability in the interim.

Discussion vs. decision: senators debated funding priorities and noted items removed in conference negotiations; the Senate took formal action to adopt a procedural suspension (SR 85) and the conference committee report (SB 5), both adopted unanimously on recorded roll calls. The funds and authorities in the conference report direct state agencies and grant programs to implement the specified purchases and staffing authorizations.

Implementation and next steps: adoption of the conference report authorizes the described appropriations from the Economic Stabilization Fund; agency-level details (procurement, grant administration, hiring) and any required federal coordination for FEMA reimbursements will follow through the responsible state agencies and the Office of the Governor.

Sources: floor explanation and roll-call statements by Senator Hoffman and recorded roll-call counts in the Sept. 4, 2025 Senate floor transcript.