Flood Victims Urged to Use Caution Upon Returning Home

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As East Texas residents return to clean up their homes and businesses after extensive flooding earlier this month, the Texas Department of State Health Services urged residents and business owners to exercise caution. Among the recommendations: · Never use gasoline-powered generators or charcoal grills indoors. Keep them outside, at least 20 feet from homes to avoid possible carbon monoxide poisoning. Direct generator engine exhaust away from windows and doors · Never mix bleach with products that contain ammonia. Toxic fumes could be created.

· Disinfect household surfaces, woodwork and toys in homes that have flooded, using a solution of one cup bleach to five gallons of water.

· Wash hands often during property cleanup to avoid contaminating areas that have already been cleaned.

A large swath of East Texas recorded very heavy rainfall between April 28 and May 7. More than 25 inches fell in parts of San Jacinto, Walker, Polk, and Trinity counties. Downtown Livingston flooded. Excess water in Lake Livingston, fed by the Trinity River, exceeded amounts recorded during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Phelan Issues Priorities for Next Session — If He is Speaker Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, RBeaumont, has issued his legislative priorities for the next legislative session in January, while facing a tough re-election battle and an impending May 28 runoff election.

Phelan directed his committee leaders to take a look at the use of school vouchers in other states and also consider new ways to further reduce property tax bills for homeowners, The Texas Tribune reported.

Attempts to pass a voucher program backed by Gov. Greg Abbott failed several times in past legislative sessions, leading to largely successful attempts to defeat voucher opponents in the March Republican primary. Phelan faces challenger David Covey, backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other of his political foes, in the runoff. As is customary with House speakers, Phelan did not cast a vote either way for the various voucher proposals but later said he would have supported a scaled-down version of vouchers.

During the last sessions, Phelan and his House allies backed a proposal to cut the cap on annual property taxes from 10% to 5%, which was opposed by Patrick. The lieutenant governor favored an increase in the homestead exemption instead and ultimately prevailed.

Moving forward, Phelan has directed the House Ways & Means Committee to explore “whether to further reduce the limit on appraised value of homesteads.”