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HR 840

Erwin, Laurie; outstanding dedication and accomplishments in golf, including her remarkable achievement of a hole-in-one and for her commitment to inspiring the next generation of leaders; commend

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Chris Erwin

The bill would nullify a specific USFWS final rule protecting certain freshwater mussels in Texas, removing their federal conservation protections.

House Read and Adopted
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HR 840

Summary — H.R. 840

Status: House Read and Adopted (introduced Jan 31, 2025)
Classification: Resolution

Main purpose

H.R. 840, as recorded, contains two very different elements:

  1. A substantive provision that declares that a final U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rule — “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status With Critical Habitat for Guadalupe Fatmucket, Texas Fatmucket, Guadalupe Orb, Texas Pimpleback, Balcones Spike, and False Spike, and Threatened Species Status With Section 4(d) Rule and Critical Habitat for Texas Fawnsfoot” (89 Fed. Reg. 48034; published June 4, 2024) — “shall have no force or effect.”

  2. A ceremonial/state-style resolution (LC 112 3544 / House Resolution 840) recognizing and commending Laurie Erwin of Homer, Georgia, for her accomplishments in golf (including a hole-in-one on June 29, 2024) and for mentoring youth through the House Page Program.

Key provisions and changes

  • Federal-rule disapproval language: A single-sentence provision would nullify the cited USFWS final rule concerning endangered/threatened status and critical habitat for multiple freshwater mussel species in Texas. If enacted in appropriate statutory form, this would remove the force of that federal rule.
  • Honorific resolution: The appended Georgia-style text formally recognizes Laurie Erwin for athletic achievement and community/mentoring work and directs the Clerk to provide a copy of the resolution to her. This portion is purely ceremonial and carries no regulatory effect.

Who would be affected

  • If the USFWS rule were legally nullified: federal conservation protections and critical-habitat designations for the listed mussel species would be undone, potentially affecting species recovery efforts, landowners, state and local governments, developers, and federal permitting/consultation requirements in the affected areas (primarily Texas).
  • The commendation portion affects only Laurie Erwin (honoree) and is symbolic — no legal or regulatory impacts.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Introduced in the House: Jan 31, 2025; referred to House Committee on Natural Resources (Jan 31).
  • Reported/enrolled and placed on calendars in May 2025; House actions indicate the measure was placed on a “Congratulatory & Memorial Resolutions” calendar, read and adopted (May 23, 2025), with an enrolled report on May 24, 2025.
  • Sponsors listed: Jodey C. Arrington and Chris Erwin (primaries), with cosponsors Chip Roy and August Pfluger.
  • Important procedural caveat: For a federal rule to be legally nullified, a bill or joint resolution must follow the constitutional legislative process (pass both chambers and be presented to the President, or fit within the Congressional Review Act procedural framework). The record provided mixes a federal disapproval clause with a state-style commendation, which is unusual; further clarification of the bill’s legislative vehicle and intent would be required to determine the effect on the USFWS rule.

Note

The text as provided appears to combine a federal-style rule-disapproval statement with the full text of a Georgia House commendation (LC 112 3544). This combination is atypical and may reflect a clerical consolidation or inclusion of unrelated language in the bill record.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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