What the POWER Act does:
After being hit by winter storm Uri, Texans need financial relief to handle unexpected expenses and lost wages now. Many Texans were unable to work during the storm, while others faced higher living expenses due to food and water shortages and the need to find alternative shelter. Many Texas families face home repair costs due to burst pipes and sagging roofs. Some Texas consumers owe thousands of dollars to their electricity providers, while others have been burdened with medical expenses as a direct result of the storm as well. HB 3460 aims to provide a grant program of direct financial assistance to certain residents of Texas who were affected by the winter disaster of 2021.
The POWER Act would give one-time cash payments of $1,000 to $2,500 per household to Texans most impacted by the Texas winter storm. There are divisive issues in politics, but climate disaster relief is not one of them. There is overwhelming bipartisan support for the sort of program HB 3460 creates.
80% of likely Texas voters (including 85% of Democrats, 76% of independents, and 81% of Republicans) support a one-time cash payment of $1,000 to $2,500 for households impacted by winter storm.
81% of Texas voters want Texas to tap into the state’s $10 billion rainy day fund to pay for the relief program.
This is the perfect opportunity to use the “rainy day fund.” Its purpose is for emergency use following disasters, and the goal is to meet the unmet needs of communities impacted by the storm and cover costs not covered by insurance plans or anybody else. HB 3460 is the financial gap filler for a state that was hit by this storm as hard as it ever has been.