The Texas General Land Office posted Amendment 1 to the State of Texas 2021 Winter Storms Action Plan for a federally required 30-day public comment period, the agency said in a Sept.15 news release.
The action plan governs how Texas spends federal disaster recovery money tied to the February 2021 winter storms, and amendments to it set the terms under which local governments can compete for that funding. The comment period gives residents, local officials and prospective applicants a window to weigh in before the changes are finalized.
According to the agency, the amendment updates the Fire Facilities and Protective Measures program to a two-phased approach, adding a call-for-projects phase followed by an application phase and stratifying the selection criteria. The amendment also makes grammatical, phrasing and formatting changes throughout the document.
The land office said comments must be received by October 15, 2026, to be considered. Under federal requirements, the agency must respond to public comments before the amendment can be sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for final approval.
The land office administers federal Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funds in Texas and has used the same public comment process for earlier storm and flood recovery plans. HUD approval is the final step before the revised program rules take effect.