Texas Creates Group to Study Alert Notification Systems
State policy · the Texas Legislature
Active · Introduced Apr 13, 2026
Plain language summary
Texas is forming a team to study how emergency alerts reach people and improve them for everyone.
Texas is taking action to improve how emergency alerts reach everyone. HB 48 creates a working group of nine members appointed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. This group will study all state alert notification systems and how well they work for different people.
The working group will review current alert systems used by the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Division of Emergency Management. They will evaluate state and federal regulations, look at problems with alert fatigue, and explore ways to make systems work better. The group will also study how effectively alerts reach people who are deaf, people with chronic illnesses, and seniors.
The team will hold hearings and work sessions to gather information. They can consult with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to understand what works best. By December 1, 2026, they must submit a report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature with their findings and recommendations for new laws.
This study helps our community receive emergency information more effectively. The working group will expire on January 1, 2027, after delivering its final report and suggestions to lawmakers.
Pocketbook
How this lands across income brackets
Same bill, different lives. The summary below describes the most likely effect on a household at each income level — based on the sources cited at the end of this section.
Under $30,000
This study could help improve emergency alerts that reach your family during hurricanes, floods, or other disasters. Better alerts mean you get warnings faster and can protect yourself and your loved ones.
$30,000-$60,000
Improved emergency alert systems will help your household get better warnings during emergencies. The study focuses on reaching everyone effectively, which benefits all working families.
$60,000-$100,000
Better emergency alert systems will help your family stay informed during disasters. This is just a study for now, so no immediate changes to your household budget or services.
Over $100,000
This creates a study group to review emergency alert systems. No direct impact on your household finances or services until recommendations become actual policy changes.
Sources cross-referenced
- · Texas Legislative Budget Board · fiscal notes
- · Texas Comptroller · distributional analysis
- · ITEP · Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
- · PolicyEngine · open-source microsimulation
- · CBPP · Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (federal)
- · UH Institute for Regional Forecasting (Houston-specific)
The most direct way to weigh in is to call the office of an official with a vote on this bill. Calls are logged and weighed.
Who decides
182 officials in the Texas Legislature have a role.
No services have been linked to this policy yet. As editorial maps the connection between bills and the services they fund or reshape, those links land here.