Extreme weather events are reshaping the policy agenda in Texas. The July 4 floods across Central Texas, which left more than 100 dead and swept away camps and homes, have intensified the focus on emergency preparedness, flood response, and climate change. As the state legislature enters another special session, issues like cannabis regulation, redistricting, and affordable housing are also up for debate. Senator Sarah Eckhardt, who represents District 14 in Austin and has served as Travis County Commissioner and County Judge, brings experience in local and state government to these issues.
Eckhardt says she believes government “exists to lay a level playing field so that we can all achieve our greatest potential and build on progress for the next generation.” That guiding principle informs her approach to the recent flooding disaster, which she calls an international event. “People across the world are watching what’s happened here in this extreme weather event,” she says. “Central Texas has always been flash flood alley… but now we’re seeing a greater population increase, and so we are experiencing it really at tragic levels.”
She emphasizes that climate change is a driver behind these events. “Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more extreme. We must respond to the fact that climate change is real.”
Eckhardt supports Governor Abbott’s inclusion of disaster response on the special session agenda and outlines the standard emergency phases: direct response, search and rescue, and debris removal. “We can jump in right now in a special session and address what will certainly be a need for augmenting local resources in that recovery effort.”
She notes the importance of coordinated response across local, state, and federal levels. “One of the mistakes that people make in responding to an incident is assuming that it’s going to be that bad in that spot exactly the same way next time,” she says. “We need to make sure that we’re mobile and that we can move these resources around to where they’re needed, when they’re needed.”
Eckhardt ties the discussion to another rising concern, which is the cost of property and liability insurance in a state vulnerable to fire, flood, hurricanes, and other events. “We need to take a look at that and see what we can do as a state to mitigate for this higher risk that we are all experiencing.”
She also supports regulation—not prohibition—of the hemp and cannabis industry. Eckhardt opposes Senate Bill 3 as originally proposed, which included a total ban on THC products. She praises Governor Abbott’s decision to veto it and says the bill should instead focus on “appropriately regulating” the industry, which she says “is begging for” oversight.
“There is broad agreement that synthetics are a problem; that access by children is a problem; that making sure that the testing of products is consistent is definitely a goal,” she says. “Stripping out the total ban and leaving the regulatory provisions is probably pretty much where we’re going.”