Texas House bill by Rep. Hull mandates electric utilities to list priority public safety facilities

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Lacey Hull aims to ensure electric utilities identify and maintain lists of critical facilities like hospitals and emergency services to support public safety during emergencies, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 49 Democrats and 80 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Lacey Hull introduced the bill in the Texas House on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Hull graduated from the University of Houston with a BS.

Hull, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 138th House district, replacing previous state representative Dwayne Bohac.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the creation of a list of priority facilities by electric utilities’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates electric utilities to create and maintain a list of priority facilities within their service areas, including hospitals, police stations, fire stations, and critical water and wastewater facilities, deemed crucial for public safety. The Public Utilities Commission will establish criteria for these designations. Utilities must offer a way for facilities to request inclusion on this list through their websites, and only facilities meeting the established criteria may be added. Upon request, utilities must disclose a facility’s list status within 14 days. In the event of a natural disaster or emergency, utilities must provide this list to local emergency management agencies. The bill is set to take effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Will Metcalf (Republican – District 16), Rep. Eddie Morales Jr. (Democrat – District 74), and Rep. Penny Morales Shaw (Democrat – District 148), along with two other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 28, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.