The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Texas requires State Capitol to display annual holiday nativity scene
Last action · March 11, 2025: Referred to Culture, Recreation & TourismSponsors: Briscoe Cain and 91 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Texas HB 1497 requires the to display a nativity scene on the State Capitol grounds during at least the month of December each year, starting September 1, 2025.
Establishes a statutory requirement for religious holiday displays on state property, exempting the nativity scene from standard monument limitations.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
State Preservation Board
The board is legally required to place and maintain a nativity scene on the State Capitol grounds annually beginning December 2025.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for placing the nativity scene?
When must the nativity scene be displayed?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Mar 11, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism
- Mar 11, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time
- Dec 3, 2024HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 87 more sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 40)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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