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89(R) HB 1397 - Enrolled version - Bill Text
H.B. No. 1397
AN ACT
relating to the care, custody, and display of the letter known as
the victory or death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas
Declaration of Independence.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 443, Government Code, is amended by
adding Section 443.031 to read as follows:
Sec.
443.031.
CARE, CUSTODY, AND DISPLAY OF VICTORY OR
DEATH LETTER, TEXAS CONSTITUTION, AND TEXAS DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE. (a) In this section, "victory or death letter" means
the letter written by Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis dated
February 24, 1836, and signed "Victory or Death."
(b)
The board is responsible for the care and custody of the
victory or death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas
Declaration of Independence.
The board is responsible for the
safety and preservation of the victory or death letter at all times,
including when the letter is in the direct custody of the board, in
storage, or on display in the Alamo complex, Capitol Complex, or
another site the board determines appropriate under Subsection (f).
(c)
The board, in consultation with the Texas Historical
Commission and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission,
shall:
(1)
designate an appropriate place in the Alamo
complex for the secure display of the victory or death letter; and
(2)
on the Texas Historical Commission's determination
that the transfer to and display of the letter at the Alamo complex
is safe and appropriate, transfer the letter to that location for
display.
(d)
Until the board designates an appropriate place in the
Alamo complex to display the victory or death letter and in
collaboration with the Texas Historical Commission and the Texas
State Library and Archives
Commission determines an appropriate
time to securely transfer the letter to that place, the board, in
consultation with the Texas Historical Commission and the Texas
State Library and Archives Commission, shall display the victory or
death letter in the public location at the Capitol Complex at which
the Texas Constitution and the Texas Declaration of Independence
are displayed as required by Subsection (e).
(e)
The board shall collaborate with the Texas Historical
Commission and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to
determine an appropriate public location at the Capitol Complex for
the secure display of the Texas Constitution and the Texas
Declaration of Independence.
(e-1)
The board, in consultation and collaboration with the
Texas Historical Commission and the Texas State Library and
Archives Commission and not later than December 1, 2027, shall:
(1) develop a plan to display:
(A)
the Texas Declaration of Independence and the
Texas Constitution in the Capitol Complex; and
(B)
the victory or death letter in the Alamo
complex and other sites the board determines appropriate under
Subsection (f);
(2)
publish the plan on the board's Internet website;
and
(3)
provide a copy of the plan to the standing
committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over the state's
historical resources.
(e-2)
Subsection (e-1) and this subsection expire September
1, 2031.
(f)
The board, in consultation and collaboration with the
Texas Historical Commission and the Texas State Library and
Archives Commission, may authorize for a limited period the display
of the Texas Constitution, the Texas Declaration of Independence,
or the victory or death letter at a museum, historical event, or
historical site.
(g)
Costs attributable to the display of the victory or
death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Declaration of
Independence shall be paid by the board, using money available to
the board for that purpose.
SECTION 2. On the day the Texas Constitution, the Texas
Declaration of Independence, and the letter described by Section
443.031(a), Government Code, as added by this Act, are to be
displayed at the Capitol Complex, as provided by Sections
443.031(d) and (e), Government Code, as added by this Act, the Texas
State Library and Archives Commission shall transfer to the State
Preservation Board the Texas Constitution, the Texas Declaration of
Independence, and the letter described by Section 443.031(a),
Government Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
______________________________
______________________________
President of the Senate
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1397 was passed by the House on April
30, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 0, 1 present, not
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
No. 1397 on May 29, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 141, Nays 0,
1 present, not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1397 was passed by the Senate, with
amendments, on May 23, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays
2.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor