Rick Ramirez, deputy intergovernmental relations officer for the City of Austin, updated the Arts Commission on the 2025 Texas legislative session and identified bills the city is watching closely for potential impacts on local arts and cultural funding.

Ramirez said the city’s legislative agenda focuses on preserving local authority, protecting financial decision-making, promoting public health and infrastructure resilience. He described a politically charged session with a newly seated House Speaker, a powerful lieutenant governor in the Senate and an early flurry of bill filings.

Bills and issues Ramirez highlighted for the commission

- DEI-related bills: Ramirez said multiple filed bills would restrict or prohibit cities from maintaining DEI programs or using race, religion or similar categories when distributing benefits. He named several sponsors and noted the city’s departments were reviewing potential impacts. Ramirez said staff is developing a strategy and will provide updates to departments and commissions.

- Monuments and memorials: Bills from some legislators would allow removal only after a supermajority city council vote or require contextualizing additional memorials; Ramirez said the legislation would affect monuments on city property.

- Limits on municipal revenue and debt: Ramirez cited measures aimed at revenue caps and restrictions on certificates of obligation, both of which would have direct effects on local project financing.

- Firearms at events on city property: HB 1715 (filed by Rep. Briscoe Cain, referenced in the meeting) would restrict an event organizer’s ability to prohibit guns at events on city-owned property; Ramirez suggested this might be relevant for outdoor arts events.

- Film and television production incentives and Texas African American Heritage Commission: Ramirez described bills proposing a film production trust fund and a new state commission to identify and preserve African American heritage sites.

Questions and responses

Commissioners asked whether the city was pursuing any bills to raise the hotel occupancy tax allocation for cultural arts; Ramirez said the city had not filed such a bill yet. Commissioners also asked about short-term rental revenue and whether the city could secure additional collection authority; Ramirez said council-level actions on short-term rental regulations were expected soon and noted city staff is working on enforcement and platform accountability.

Ramirez urged commission members and community members to engage early with legislators, stressing that author conversations and early outreach are more effective than testifying at hearings after a bill is already in process.

Why it matters

Ramirez identified DEI bills as a high-priority risk to arts funding and program design, because those bills would limit what local governments can consider when awarding funds or setting program criteria. Commissioners asked for continuing updates; Ramirez agreed to return with mid-session and end-of-session briefings, and the commission requested a more detailed, itemized update on bills specifically affecting arts funding.

No formal action was taken at the Jan. 27 meeting.