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HB 272

Relating to a grant program to provide financial assistance to municipalities and counties that use helicopters to respond to disasters.

89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session (2025) Introduced by Donna Howard

HB 272 creates a state grant program to help Texas municipalities and counties pay for helicopter-based disaster response operations.

Filed
#aeronautics(i0010) #comptrollerofpublicaccounts(v2608) #citygovernment--finance(i0062) #citygovernment--general(i0060) #countygovernment--finance(i0097) #countygovernment--general(i0096) #disasterpreparedness&relief(i0211) #health--emergencyservices&personnel(i0384) #politicalsubdivisions(i0588) #statefinances--management&control(i0748)
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Bill Summary · HB 272

Legislative bill overview

HB 272 establishes a grant program that would provide financial assistance to Texas municipalities and counties for helicopter-based disaster response operations. The bill creates a funding mechanism to help local governments offset the costs of deploying helicopters during emergency situations and disaster recovery efforts.

Why is this important

Helicopter response capabilities are critical for disaster response in remote areas, rapid evacuation, and search-and-rescue operations, but are extremely expensive for local governments to maintain. This grant program could expand disaster response capacity across Texas while distributing costs more equitably, though it requires state funding allocation and administration.

Potential points of contention

  • Funding source and amount: The bill does not specify where grant money comes from or what the program budget would be, raising questions about fiscal impact and whether other programs would be affected
  • Eligibility criteria and fairness: It's unclear how grants would be distributed among municipalities and counties, potentially creating inequities between rural and urban areas or wealthy versus under-resourced jurisdictions
  • Sustainability and dependency: Providing grants for recurring operational costs could create ongoing budget dependencies without addressing whether local governments should develop alternative funding mechanisms or cost-sharing arrangements

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

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