Monitoring the Session

SB 2004

King Bill Lets Arlington’s INDYCAR Race Skip Bidding Until 2030

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: Smells

SmellsInitial review
Sen. Phil KingRSenate 10
Why it's charged
Carve-out

THE TEXT

…“Section 478.0001(3)(M-1) may receive funding through the program if”…

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

Beyond adding one named race, the bill waives the usual competitive-selection test for that race alone through 2030. The caption does say the bill is about this one race, so the favor is disclosed but still special.

Carve-out

Initial review · graded Oct 22, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the eligibility of the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington for funding under the major events reimbursement program.

Caption from analyzed text · version H.

Summary

State event money, no need to beat out other states for the race. Other events must.

The bill adds the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington to the list of events that can get state money through the major events reimbursement program, and it adds Penske Entertainment to the list of approved site selection organizations. It touches the state treasury, the Arlington race, and the organizers who pick its site. Until September 1, 2030, the race can get state funding even if Texas never beat out other states in a competitive bidding process, which other events must show.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2004 · 2025-03-06

SOLD BY

ITEM

relating to the eligibility of the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington for funding under the major events reimbursement program.

WHAT IT DOES

State event money, no need to beat out other states for the race. Other events must.

The bill adds the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington to the list of events that can get state money through the major events reimbursement program, and it adds Penske Entertainment to the list of approved site selection organizations. It touches the state treasury, the Arlington race, and the organizers who pick its site. Until September 1, 2030, the race can get state funding even if Texas never beat out other states in a competitive bidding process, which other events must show.

CHARGES

[x] CARVE-OUTanalysis confidence 50%

THE TEXT

…“Section 478.0001(3)(M-1) may receive funding through the program if”…

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

Beyond adding one named race, the bill waives the usual competitive-selection test for that race alone through 2030. The caption does say the bill is about this one race, so the favor is disclosed but still special.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 15, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Economic Development
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Vote taken in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  13. Committee report printed and distributed
  14. Placed on local & uncontested calendar
  15. Placed on intent calendar
  16. Removed from local & uncontested calendar
  17. Not again placed on intent calendar
  18. Placed on intent calendar
  19. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  20. Record vote
  21. Read 2nd time
  22. Amendment(s) offered FA1 King
  23. Amended
  24. Vote recorded in Journal
  25. Passed to engrossment as amended
  26. Record vote
  27. Three day rule suspended
  28. Record vote
  29. Read 3rd time
  30. Passed
  31. Record vote
  32. Reported engrossed
  33. Received from the Senate
  34. Read first time
  35. Referred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism
  36. Considered in public hearing
  37. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  38. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  39. Committee report distributed
  40. Committee report sent to Calendars
  41. Laid out in lieu of companion CSHB 3962
  42. Read 2nd time
  43. Passed to 3rd reading
  44. Record vote RV#2164
  45. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  46. Rules suspended
  47. Additional sponsor(s) authorized
  48. Read 3rd time
  49. Passed
  50. Record vote RV#2318
  51. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  52. House passage reported
  53. Reported enrolled
  54. Signed in the Senate
  55. Signed in the House
  56. Sent to the Governor
  57. Signed by the Governor
  58. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

CORPORATE WELFARE

THE TEXT

“(M-1) the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington;”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

The bill opens a state reimbursement fund to one named private racing event and excuses it from the competitive-bid requirement other events face.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 85 yea · 58 nay

Senate · 25 yea · 6 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 13, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Apr 29, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$30KErle Nye, Jr.$20,000Gideon Powell$20,000

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 27, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$30,300.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$30,300.00

Cash
$30,000.00
Paid by others
$300.00
Total
$30,300.00
fundraiser $300.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Sep 26, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100982783, 101007450, 101026985.

Erle Nye, Jr.$20,000.00
Gideon Powell$20,000.00
Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$30,300.00

Cash
$30,000.00
Paid by others
$300.00
Total
$30,300.00
fundraiser $300.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Sep 26, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100982783, 101007450, 101026985.

Votes6

House May 13, 2025

Yea
85
Nay
58
Present, not voting
2
Absent
1
Excused
4
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2318

SB 2004 was passed by (Record 2318): 85 Yeas, 58 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 85 (published)
  • Nay: 58 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 12, 2025

Yea
88
Nay
55
Present, not voting
2
Absent
2
Excused
3
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2164

CSSB 2004 was read second time and was passed to third reading by (Record 2164): 88 Yeas, 55 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 88 (published)
  • Nay: 55 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 2 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 3 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 29, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 29, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator King moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2004 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 29, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

CSSB 2004 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 29, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator King moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 2004 at this time on its second reading: CSSB 2004, Relating to the eligibility of the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington for funding under the major events reimbursement program. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses11
For
10
Against
0
On
1
Names

For

  • City of Arlington1 registration
  • Dallas cowboys football1 registration
  • Grand Prix of Arlington1 registration
  • Greater Arlington Chamber1 registration
  • North Texas Commissiom1 registration
  • Penske Entertainment1 registration
  • Self; Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau1 registration
  • Texas Hotel and Lodging Association1 registration
  • Texas Rangers Baseball1 registration
  • Texas Travel Alliance1 registration

On

  • Texas Economic Development & Tourism, Office of the Governor1 registration
Sources

11 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 15, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version H by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 6, 2025

05/27/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Sponsors

House committee · Culture, Recreation & Tourism · Committee vote 7 aye, 1 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Economic Development · Committee vote 5 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

HB 3962 by Geren (identical)

Subjects

Amusements, Games, Sports

State Finances--Management & Control

Text

The text as introduced · 743 words

89R12520 PRL-F

By: King
S.B. No. 2004

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the eligibility of the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington

for funding under the major events reimbursement program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Sections 478.0001(3) and (7), Government Code,

are amended to read as follows:

(3) "Event" means any of the following and includes

any activity related to or associated with the following:

(A) the Academy of Country Music Awards;

(B) the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic

Games;

(C) the Bassmaster Classic;

(D) a Big 12 Football Conference Championship

game;

(E) the Breeders' Cup World Championships;

(F) the CMT (Country Music Television) Music

Awards;

(G) a game of the College Football Playoff or its

successor;

(H) the Confederation of North, Central America

and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) Gold Cup;

(I) a CONVRG conference;

(J) an Elite Rodeo Association World

Championship;

(K) a Federation Equestre Internationale World

Cup Final;

(L) a Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme

(FIM) World Supercross Championship race;

(M) the Formula One United States Grand Prix;

(M-1) the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington;

(N) the largest event held each year at a sports

entertainment venue in this state with a permanent seating

capacity, including grandstand and premium seating, of at least

125,000 on September 1, 2021;

(O) the Major League Baseball All-Star Game;

(P) the Major League Soccer All-Star Game or the

Major League Soccer Cup;

(Q) a mixed martial arts championship;

(R) the Moto Grand Prix of the United States;

(S) the National Association for Stock Car Auto

Racing (NASCAR):

(i) All-Star Race;

(ii) season-ending Championship Race; or

(iii) Texas Grand Prix race;

(T) the National Basketball Association All-Star

Game;

(U) a National Collegiate Athletic Association

Final Four tournament game;

(V) the National Collegiate Athletic Association

men's or women's lacrosse championships;

(W) a national collegiate championship of an

amateur sport sanctioned by the national governing body of the

sport that is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee;

(X) the National Cutting Horse Association

Triple Crown;

(Y) the National Hockey League All-Star Game;

(Z) the National Hot Rod Association Fall

Nationals at the Texas Motorplex;

(AA) a national political convention of the

Republican National Committee or the Democratic National

Committee;

(BB) the National Reined Cow Horse Association

(NRCHA) Championship Series;

(CC) an Olympic activity, including a Junior or

Senior activity, training program, or feeder program sanctioned by

the United States Olympic Committee's Community Olympic

Development Program;

(DD) a presidential general election debate;

(EE) the Professional Bull Riders World Finals;

(FF) the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

National Finals Rodeo;

(GG) a series of cricket matches or competitions

within the T20 World Cup;

(HH) a Super Bowl;

(II) the United States Open Championship;

(JJ) a World Cup soccer game or the World Cup

soccer tournament;

(KK) the World Games;

(LL) a World Wrestling Entertainment

WrestleMania event; or

(MM) the X Games.

(7) "Site selection organization" means:

(A) the Academy of Country Music;

(B) the Amateur Athletic Union;

(C) Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, LLC;

(D) the Big 12 Conference;

(E) CMT (Country Music Television) Productions

Inc.;

(F) the College Football Playoff Administration,

LLC, or its successor;

(G) the Commission on Presidential Debates;

(H) the Confederation of North, Central America

and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf);

(I) the Democratic National Committee;

(J) Dorna Sports;

(K) the Elite Rodeo Association;

(L) Encore Live;

(M) ESPN or an affiliate;

(N) the Federation Equestre Internationale

(FEI);

(O) the Federation Internationale de Football

Association (FIFA);

(P) the International Cricket Council;

(Q) the International World Games Association;

(R) Major League Baseball;

(S) Major League Soccer;

(T) the National Association for Stock Car Auto

Racing (NASCAR);

(U) the National Basketball Association;

(V) the National Collegiate Athletic

Association;

(W) the National Cutting Horse Association;

(X) the National Football League;

(Y) the National Hockey League;

(Z) the National Hot Rod Association;

(AA) the National Reined Cow Horse Association

(NRCHA);

(AA-1) Penske Entertainment;

(BB) Professional Bull Riders, LLC;

(CC) the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association;

(DD) the Republican National Committee;

(EE) SX Global;

(FF) the Ultimate Fighting Championship;

(GG) the United States Golf Association;

(HH) the United States Olympic Committee;

(II) World Wrestling Entertainment; or

(JJ) the national governing body of a sport that

is recognized by:

(i) the Federation Internationale de

l'Automobile;

(ii) Formula One Management Limited or its

successor;

(iii) the National Thoroughbred Racing

Association; or

(iv) the United States Olympic Committee.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.