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89(R) HB 5032 - Engrossed version - Bill Text
By: Metcalf, Harris, Isaac, Hefner, et al.
H.B. No. 5032
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the display of certain historical state documents.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter L, Chapter 441, Government Code, is
amended by adding Sections 441.206 and 441.207 to read as follows:
Sec.
441.206.
DISPLAY OF CERTAIN HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS IN
CAPITOL COMPLEX. (a) The commission, in consultation and
collaboration with the State Preservation Board and the Texas
Historical Commission, shall designate an appropriate place in the
Capitol Complex to securely display the Texas Constitution and the
Texas Declaration of Independence.
(b)
The commission shall pay the costs attributable to the
display of the Texas Constitution and the Texas Declaration of
Independence using available funds or funds appropriated to the
commission for that purpose.
(c)
The commission, in consultation and collaboration with
the State Preservation Board and the Texas Historical Commission
and not later than December 1, 2027, shall:
(1)
develop a plan to display in the Capitol Complex
the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Texas Constitution;
(2)
publish the plan on the commission'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.
(d)
Subsection (c) and this subsection expire September 1,
2031.
(e)
The commission, in consultation and collaboration with
the State Preservation Board and the Texas Historical Commission,
may authorize for a limited period the display of the Texas
Constitution or the Texas Declaration of Independence at a
historical event or historical site.
Sec.
441.207.
CARE, CUSTODY, AND DISPLAY OF VICTORY OR
DEATH LETTER. (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 commission, in consultation and collaboration with
the State Preservation Board and the Texas Historical Commission,
is responsible for the care and custody of the victory or death
letter.
(c)
The commission shall designate an appropriate place in
the Alamo complex to securely display the victory or death letter.
(d)
Until the commission designates an appropriate place in
the Alamo complex to display the victory or death letter and
determines an appropriate time to securely transfer the letter to
that place, the commission shall display the victory or death
letter at the Capitol Complex with other historical documents,
including the Texas Constitution and Texas Declaration of
Independence.
(e)
Costs attributable to the display of the victory or
death letter under Subsection (c) or (d) shall be paid by money from
the Alamo complex account and are an authorized use of the money
under Section 31.454(e), Natural Resources Code.
(f)
The commission, in consultation and collaboration with
the State Preservation Board and the Texas Historical Commission,
may authorize for a limited period the display of the victory or
death letter at a historical event or historical site.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.