| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the flood infrastructure fund to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated other than the cost of publication which would amount of $177,289.
HJR 4 proposes a constitutional amendment to Article 3 of the Texas Constitution that would create the Flood Infrastructure Fund. The fund would be held in the state treasury outside of the General Revenue Fund and would be administered by the Texas Water Development Board in order to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects. The enabling legislation for this resolution is HB 13 and HB 478.
Emergency planning and preparedness is a legitimate function of state government. We do not take a position on the creation of this fund but offer the caution that this would create a new dedicated fund outside of general revenue. These funds lack transparency and do not count toward the spending cap which means they allow the state to spend more money. For these reasons we recommend amending to place this fund within general revenue.