TO:	Honorable Dustin Burrows, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB1397 by Harris (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.), As Passed 2nd House

This bill would designate the State Preservation Board (SPB) as responsible for the care and custody of the Victory or Death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Declaration of Independence. It would require SPB, in consultation with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) to designate an appropriate place in the Alamo complex for the secure display of the Victory or Death letter, and coordinate with the Historical Commission on the transfer of the letter to the Alamo complex. SPB would be required to collaborate with the THC and TSLAC to determine an appropriate public location in the capitol complex to display the Texas Constitution and the Declaration or Independence, and until the appropriate time to transfer it to the Alamo complex, the Victory or Death letter. Costs attributable to the display of the three documents would be paid by SPB.

Costs to display the documents in a public location would vary based on the exact parameters of the encasements and the condition of the documents they house, and as such, the fiscal impact cannot be determined at this time.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


May 26, 2025