SB1426

The commission is responsible for preserving, maintaining and operating the site and replica. Its duties include renovating and expanding the site for historical accuracy and public access; moving the House replica to a historically accurate location on the site; constructing a historically accurate replica of the Republic of Texas Senate building; and constructing and maintaining a visitor center with educational resources, exhibitions and interactive experiences. Final law, section 442.0681.

The commission must also preserve documents and artifacts, develop exhibitions and interpretive programs, conduct research, employ a site director and other personnel it considers necessary, and manage operations and staff development. The act directs it to seek grants, donations and public-private partnerships; acquire relevant property and artifacts, including adjacent or relevant real estate; plan for heritage tourism; collaborate with schools and community and historical organizations; host public programs; and periodically assess stewardship. It may accept grants or donations for any site program or purpose. These are statutory responsibilities, not evidence that projects or acquisitions have already been completed. Final law, sections 442.0681–.0682.

The Senate substitute made the staffing direction more specific: instead of generally hiring and training personnel for daily operations, education and visitor services, it requires a site director and other personnel the commission considers necessary to fulfill its duties. That wording survived unchanged in the Senate-passed, House committee and enrolled operative texts. No floor amendments are listed. Introduced; Senate substitute; Senate-passed; House committee; Final law; Version index; Amendment index.

Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.

The intended benefits are preservation, public history education, accessibility and heritage tourism. The commission takes on operational and development obligations, and donors or partners may contribute resources. The act does not establish future visitor numbers, local tourism revenue, actual land purchases, construction completion or current opening arrangements. Final law.

The April 6 substitute fiscal note estimates a $3,025,100 cost to general-revenue-related funds for fiscal years 2026–2027: $2,522,550 in 2026 and $502,550 in 2027. It includes a one-time $2 million capital estimate in 2026 for property acquisition, moving the House replica and building a Senate replica, plus four additional full-time-equivalent state positions and ongoing administration. The note also includes $20,000 for equipment in 2026 and another $20,000 in 2030. Project costs were estimated using comparable work, historical prices, inflation and site-specific requirements—not completed bids or actual spending. Substitute fiscal note.

The note projects annual general-revenue costs of $519,100 in each of fiscal years 2028 and 2029 and $539,100 in 2030, with no significant local-government fiscal impact anticipated. The April 1 introduced note gives the same estimates. Both expressly distinguish the bill from an appropriation: it provides a possible legal basis for funding but does not itself allocate it. This review does not determine what a separate budget actually appropriated. Substitute fiscal note; Introduced fiscal note.