Senate bill would bar concrete-crushing within 440 yards of hospitals after LBJ community outcry

Senate Bill 2082, filed by Senator Borris L. Miles, would add hospitals to the list of sensitive sites that rock- and concrete-crushing facilities may not operate within 440 yards. The bill was laid out in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development hearing after community opposition to a proposed crushing operation near Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Hospital in Houston.

The bill’s author described the bill’s purpose and local controversy. "SB 20 82 is a simple bill. It adds hospitals to the list of places that rock crushing concrete may not operate within 440 yards," Senator Miles said, arguing the current standard does not protect medically vulnerable patients. He noted the LBJ site drew more than 630 public comments opposing the permit and said the hospital is "the busiest level 3 trauma center in Texas" and an "irreplaceable link" in indigent care.

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