The general investigating committee examining the July 4, 2025 flood

The General Investigating Committee on the July 2025 Flooding Events is a joint Senate-House panel created by the Texas Legislature during the second special session of the 89th Legislature and established by Senate Resolution 2 and House Resolution 177. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced the committee’s formation and appointed its members in October 2025.

The committee’s mandate is to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the July 4, 2025, flooding that killed more than 119 people across Kerr County, with particular focus on events at Camp Mystic, where 27 people died. It is charged with identifying strategies to strengthen Texas’ disaster preparedness and response, examining actions taken at youth summer camps in flood zones, and recommending legislative reforms.

The 10-member panel meets jointly and is chaired on the Senate side by Sen. Pete Flores of Pleasanton and on the House side by Rep. Morgan Meyer of University Park. It includes eight Republicans and two Democrats — Sen. José Menéndez of San Antonio and Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso — reflecting the supermajority the Republican Party holds in both chambers of the Texas Legislature.

The committee retained Houston attorney Casey Garrett and former Texas Court of Appeals Justice Michael Massengale as outside investigators. Both served in the same capacity during the Texas House’s 2022 investigation into the Uvalde school shooting. Garrett and Massengale presented their findings to the full committee on April 28, 2026, in Austin, accompanied by team members Kim Parks and Heather McFarland. The investigators conducted approximately 140 to 150 witness interviews and made multiple site visits to Camp Mystic before presenting their findings.

The committee’s final written report is expected in May 2026.

SENATE COMMITTEE

Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) — Chair Pete Flores, 66, represents Senate District 24, which spans the Texas Hill Country and South Texas. A native of Laredo, he spent 27 years as a Texas Game Warden, rising to the rank of colonel and becoming the first Hispanic game warden colonel in state history. He holds a degree in recreation and parks administration from Texas A&M University. First elected to the Senate in a 2018 special election, becoming the first Hispanic Republican in the Texas Senate’s history, he was defeated in 2020 before winning District 24 in 2022. He chairs the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice and the Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, and serves on the Finance and Natural Resources committees. He lives in Pleasanton with his wife, Elizabeth.

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Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) — Vice Chair Charles Perry, 63, represents Senate District 28, a sprawling West Texas district covering more than 40 counties from Lubbock to the Hill Country. A lifelong West Texan, he earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Texas Tech University and built a career as a CPA and land developer. First elected to the Texas House in 2010 and to the Senate in a 2014 special election, he chairs the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, and is vice chair of Health and Human Services. He was elected Senate President Pro Tempore in June 2025. He and his wife, Jacklyn, have two children and five grandchildren and are members of Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock.

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Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Tyler) Bryan Hughes represents Senate District 1, covering 19 counties across East Texas. Born and raised in East Texas, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler and his law degree from Baylor University, where he was named Young Lawyer of the Year. He clerked for U.S. District Judge William Steger before entering private practice, which he still maintains. Ranked by his own office as the most conservative member of the Texas Senate, he chairs the Senate Committee on State Affairs and serves on Natural Resources, Health and Human Services, Nominations and other committees. He is a member of the Energy Council’s Executive Committee. He and his wife, Leyla, live in Tyler.

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Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) Lois Kolkhorst represents Senate District 18, which stretches from the Houston suburbs through the Texas Gulf Coast and Hill Country. A sixth-generation Texan, she grew up in Brenham, earned her degree from Texas Christian University where she was an Academic All-American golfer, and served as president and CEO of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce before entering politics. She served seven terms in the Texas House before winning her Senate seat in a 2014 special election. She chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and serves on the Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, Finance, Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other committees. She and her husband, Jim, own and operate Kolkhorst Petroleum in Navasota. They have two children.

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Sen. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) José Menéndez, 57, represents Senate District 26 on San Antonio’s West Side, the community where he was born and raised as the son of immigrants. He earned degrees in business administration and Latin American studies from Southern Methodist University and went on to run his family’s small business before entering politics. He served on the San Antonio City Council from 1997 to 2001 and in the Texas House from 2001 to 2015 before winning his Senate seat. The committee’s only Democrat, Menéndez serves on the Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, Business and Commerce, Education K-16 and Veterans Affairs committees. He has filed legislation protecting the environment and supporting solar energy customers. He and his wife, Cehlia, have three children.

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HOUSE COMMITTEE

Rep. Morgan Meyer (R-University Park) — Chair Morgan Meyer, 51, represents House District 108, covering East Dallas, Uptown and the Park Cities in Dallas County. A Lubbock native, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University and his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law, and built a career as a business litigator at Bracewell LLP and Wick Phillips. First elected to the Texas House in 2014, he is in his sixth term and chairs the House Committee on Ways and Means, where he led the passage of $18 billion in property tax relief in 2023 — described as the largest tax cut in Texas history. He also chairs the House General Investigating Committee on the July 2025 Flooding Events. He and his wife, Keana, have three children and live in the Park Cities.

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Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) — Vice Chair Joe Moody, 45, represents House District 78 in El Paso and serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Texas House — a position he has held under three different speakers. Born and raised in El Paso, the son of a district judge and a schoolteacher, he earned his degree from New Mexico State University and his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. First elected in 2008, he is the founder and co-chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus and has devoted his career to preventing wrongful convictions and reforming juvenile and drug penalties. He served as vice chair of the House committee that investigated the Uvalde school shooting, which led directly to his appointment as vice chair of this committee. Named Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News in 2024, he works as senior counsel for WestStar Bank. He and his wife, Adrianne, have three children.

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Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) Drew Darby, 78, represents House District 72, covering 10 West Texas counties spanning the Concho Valley and Permian Basin — a region larger than seven U.S. states. A San Angelo native, he earned his business and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and has built a career as an attorney and businessman, owning Surety Title, which operates across West Texas, and serving as counsel to the energy and real estate practice at Jackson Walker. First elected in 2006 and now in his 17th year of seniority in the House, he chairs the House Committee on Energy Resources and chairs The Energy Council, a nonpartisan organization spanning 12 states and Canadian provinces. He also serves as vice chair of the Climate and Energy Caucus. He has served on the Legislative Budget Board and the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee. He and his wife, Clarisa, have five children and 12 grandchildren and are members of First Presbyterian Church of San Angelo.

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Rep. Paul Dyson (R-Bryan) Paul Dyson, 45, represents House District 14 in Brazos County and is serving his first term in the Texas House, having taken office in January 2025. A 30-year resident of Bryan-College Station, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University and his law degree from South Texas College of Law. He serves as general counsel for Dyson Energy Group, a family-owned oil and gas exploration and production company, and co-owns Lawyers Title Company of Brazos County. He sits on the House Energy Resources Committee and the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee. He and his wife, Teri, have two children.

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Rep. Erin Gámez (D-Brownsville) Erin Gámez, 36, represents House District 38, covering the majority of Brownsville in Cameron County on the Texas-Mexico border. Born and raised in Brownsville, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from South Texas College of Law, returning home to practice law with her family’s firm. She was first elected in a March 2022 special election, becoming the first woman to represent District 38, and was the youngest serving member of the Legislature at the time. She served as one of 12 House impeachment managers during the 2023 trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton. She serves on the House Natural Resources and Transportation committees. She practices criminal, civil and family law and has served as defense attorney for the Cameron County Mental Health Diversion Court.