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House creates Texas Interoperability Council to coordinate emergency communications
Summary
House Bill 3 establishes a Texas Interoperability Council and a grant program to improve communications among first responders; the House passed the bill after floor amendments that limited initial funding to $50 million and applied open-meetings rules.
The Texas House approved House Bill 3, creating a Texas Interoperability Council to plan and coordinate statewide emergency communications and a grant program to fund interoperable equipment. The House voted 134-1 to pass HB 3 to engrossment and final passage.
Representative King, sponsor of HB 3, said the bill was written after testimony from wildfire and flood responses that showed first responders can spend the first 36 hours of a disaster trying to achieve interoperability. “When the calvary shows up and Texans are helping Texans, waiting 36 hours before they can communicate with each other cost…
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