Arts & Tourism

Support high-quality arts education and learning in all schools through the employment of certified arts education teachers and partnerships with community arts organizations. Maintain current fine arts education requirements.

Protect use of Municipality Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) to fund the arts.

Encourage municipalities that levy the HOT to maximize the full, allowable 15% arts allocation.

Support securing COVID-19 Relief Funds from the $1.8 billion distributed to communities and counties with fewer than 500,000 residents and the $3.2 billion distributed directly to cities and counties with populations greater than 500,000 residents.

Promote the important role the legislature’s investment of public resources in the arts plays in the vitality, economic health, and civic pride of communities all across Texas.

Support and promote the Texas Commission on the Art’s Cultural & Fine Arts District Program for the strong role it plays in harnessing the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization.

Support legislation that increases the transparency of MHOT and County HOT reporting to the Texas Office of the Comptroller.

Support the Texas Commission on the Arts “Exceptional Item” to increase funding for the Arts Organization Grant by $3 million.

Support the Texas Commission on the Arts “Exceptional Item” to increase funding for the Cultural District grant program by $5 million.

Preserve full funding for state tourism promotion (Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism). State tourism promotion is a self-funded program with a dedicated funding source – 1/12 of the state hotel occupancy tax (HOT).

Maintain school start date law (4th Monday in August) and proactively seek to eliminate exemptions and waivers.

Ensure dedicated HOT funds are used for their intended purposes.

Preserve the Event Trust Funds. Abilene will be applying for these funds to attract national events to the Taylor County Expo Center and Youth Sports facility.

Preserve state funding for beneficial travel and tourism programs at Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), Texas Historical Commission (THC), Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA).

Support comprehensive transportation infrastructure planning and support (Move Texas Forward coalition).

Support policies that enhance workforce development.

Support collection of local hotel occupancy tax on AirBnB’s and other online lodging brokers.