HB 2974 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to municipal and county hotel occupancy taxes and the authority of certain municipalities to receive certain tax revenue derived from a hotel and convention center project and to pledge certain tax revenue for the payment of obligations related to the project; authorizing the imposition of taxes.

HB 2974 allows specific coastal Texas municipalities to impose hotel occupancy taxes to fund convention centers. It targets cities with populations between 70,000-180,000 (for centers built before 2023) or under 25,000 (with cultural museums, for centers built before 2025), all located near the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico. The tax authority expires on January 1, 2054, or 2056, whichever comes first, depending on the municipality type. The bill also includes a separate provision requiring coastal cities to use certain tax revenue for public beach maintenance, though this section appears incomplete in the provided text.
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Governor
Introduced Mar 20, 2025 Last action May 29, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 5 edits · May 25, 2025
MODERATE
This bill significantly expands which Texas municipalities can use hotel occupancy tax revenue for convention centers, coliseums, and tourism projects by adding new population thresholds, geographic criteria, and specific facility types. The changes matter because they allow smaller and more rural communities to access tax revenue previously reserved for larger cities, while also setting expiration dates and construction deadlines for these projects.
Scope change
The bill broadens eligibility from primarily large municipalities to include smaller towns (as small as 3,500 residents) and adds specific geographic and cultural criteria for qualification.
ELIGIBILITY

New subsections add eligibility for municipalities with populations between 70,000-180,000 in border counties, and for towns under 25,000 with cultural heritage museums in border counties.

Creates new eligibility criteria for municipalities near space centers, along specific rivers, and in counties with particular population characteristics.

FISCAL

Expands allowable uses of hotel tax revenue to include coliseums, multiuse facilities, and sports facility enhancements for municipalities with populations as low as 9,000.

TIMELINE

Adds specific expiration dates for new tax authorities, with most provisions expiring January 1, 2054 or 2056, and construction deadlines of January 1, 2023 or 2025 for convention centers.

REQUIREMENT

Requires certain municipalities to have adopted capital improvement plans for convention centers before they can use tax revenue for such projects.

Floor votes · Senate May 25, 2025 · House May 13, 2025

How they voted

246
Passed
Total votes 30
May 25, 2025
D Democratic10
10 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican20
14 Yea 6 Nay
70% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
59
Key actions
20
Committee
13
Amendments
11
May 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
House requests conference committee-reported
upper
May 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
House requests conference committee
lower
May 28, 2025
Introduced
House refuses to concur in Senate amendments
lower
May 27, 2025
Introduced
Senate Amendments Analysis distributed
lower
May 27, 2025
Introduced
Senate Amendments distributed
lower
May 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage as amended reported
lower
May 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to 3rd reading as amended
upper
May 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
May 25, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
May 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
May 14, 2025
Committee
Referred to Economic Development
upper
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed as amended
lower
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
May 13, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (100-31-10)
house
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 20, 2025
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means
lower
Mar 20, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors