| TO: | Honorable Ryan Guillen, Chair, House Committee on Culture, Recreation & Tourism |
| FROM: | John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1300 by Guillen ( Relating to funding for state sites and programs of the Parks and Wildlife Department through private contributions and partnerships and to commercial advertising on certain state sites.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The amount of revenue raised by joint promotional campaigns, state park pass sales, and licensing fees will depend on the outcome of these new activities. Although the overall effect of implementing the bill's provisions will result in additional revenue to the agency, this gain is indeterminate.
The bill implements recommendations in the report, "Increase Private Contributions for State Parks" in the Legislative Budget Board's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report, submitted to the Eighty-second Texas Legislature, 2011.
The bill would authorize the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to designate companies as official corporate partners, and conduct joint promotional fund-raising campaigns with these companies for the purpose of generating contributions for state site operations and maintanence. State sites would include state parks, historic sites, natural areas, fish hatcheries, and wildlife management areas. Fund-raising proceeds could be used for other agency-designated priority projects or programs.
The bill would require the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to establish rules that prohibit inappropriate commercial advertising in state parks and other sites in order to preserve their integrity and minimize distractions that interfere with visitor enjoyment of the sites.
Also, the bill would allow the agency to contract with companies to sell park passes in their retail locations, and receive licensing fees from companies authorized by the agency to use the TPWD brand.
| Source Agencies: | 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 802 Parks and Wildlife Department
|
| LBB Staff: | JOB, KM, JI, RN
|