The Texas Legislature adjourned Thursday without passing new emergency training standards for local officials — a major policy recommendation after the deadly July 4 floods.
S.B. 2, an omnibus disaster policy bill, would have required emergency management coordinators to get licensed and undergo annual training by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Mayors, sheriffs and county judges would have also faced new training requirements.
The Republican-controlled state House and Senate each passed different versions of the bill and adjourned before lawmakers reached a compromise. Unless Republican Gov. Greg Abbott calls another special session, Texas lawmakers will not meet again until 2027.
The bill would have established a volunteer management system with background checks, created training programs for mass-fatality events and defined lines of succession for emergency management when top officials are absent.
