Monitoring the Session

SB 74

Zaffirini Bill Orders A Study On A Marketing Department

Filed

Verdict: Smells

SmellsInitial review
Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDSenate 21
Why it's charged
Study, task force, commission, report

THE TEXT

…“conduct a study to evaluate the total costs incurred for marketing”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill's only operative duty is a study and a later report. Any action on a marketing department waits for that report. The caption says plainly that this is a study.

Study, task force, commission, report

Initial review · graded Nov 9, 2026 · How we grade

Caption

relating to a study by the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office regarding the creation of the Department of Marketing Services.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

State agency marketing costs get tallied. The report is due September 30, 2028. Nothing else changes.

The bill orders the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office to study how much state agencies spend on marketing and whether a new Department of Marketing Services should review those requests. It touches every executive-branch state agency, including state universities, which would have their marketing costs, staff and results tallied. Nothing changes on the ground except a report due to state leaders and lawmakers by September 30, 2028, and the Act expires September 1, 2029.

Receipt

The receipt

90R-SB74 · 2026-11-09

SOLD BY

ITEM

relating to a study by the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office regarding the creation of the Department of Marketing Services.

WHAT IT DOES

State agency marketing costs get tallied. The report is due September 30, 2028. Nothing else changes.

The bill orders the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office to study how much state agencies spend on marketing and whether a new Department of Marketing Services should review those requests. It touches every executive-branch state agency, including state universities, which would have their marketing costs, staff and results tallied. Nothing changes on the ground except a report due to state leaders and lawmakers by September 30, 2028, and the Act expires September 1, 2029.

CHARGES

[x] STUDY, TASK FORCE, COMMISSION, REPORTanalysis confidence 55%

THE TEXT

…“conduct a study to evaluate the total costs incurred for marketing”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill's only operative duty is a study and a later report. Any action on a marketing department waits for that report. The caption says plainly that this is a study.

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Donors

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 · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 23, 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.

Carlos M. Zaffirini Jr$110,000.00
Killam Development Ltd.$72,700.00

Killam Development Ltd.

$72,700.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$62,700.00
Total
$72,700.00
advertising $33,000.00media $29,700.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 9, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 16, 2025 to Aug 20, 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.

Report IDs: 101011018, 101057658.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$60,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 11, 2024 to Aug 31, 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.

Report IDs: 100959783, 100987492, 101011018, 101035338, 101057658.

Money

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

×

Killam Development Ltd.

$72,700.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$62,700.00
Total
$72,700.00
advertising $33,000.00media $29,700.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 9, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 16, 2025 to Aug 20, 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.

Report IDs: 101011018, 101057658.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 11, 2024 to Aug 31, 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.

Report IDs: 100959783, 100987492, 101011018, 101035338, 101057658.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by a super-expensive superintelligence, Nov 9, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 9, 2026

11/09/2026 S Filed

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Nov 10, 2026 at 2:39 AM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Subjects

Interim Studies

State Agencies, Boards & Commissions

State Agencies, Boards & Commissions--Newly Proposed

State Finances--Management & Control

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TOURISM OFFICE, TEXAS

MARKETING SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (VL1UH)

Text

The text as introduced · 537 words

90R1328 GP-D

By: Zaffirini
S.B. No. 74

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a study by the Texas Economic Development and Tourism

Office regarding the creation of the Department of Marketing

Services.

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

SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act:

(1) "Full-time equivalent position" means an

employment position that requires a workweek of at least 40 hours,

including authorized leave.

(2) "Office" means the Texas Economic Development and

Tourism Office.

(3) "State agency" means a department, commission,

board, office, council, authority, or other agency in the executive

branch of state government that is created by the constitution or a

statute of this state, including a university system or institution

of higher education as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code.

SECTION 2. STUDY ON COST OF MARKETING BY STATE AGENCIES AND

CREATION OF DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING SERVICES. (a) The office shall

conduct a study to evaluate the total costs incurred for marketing

purposes by state agencies and the feasibility of creating a

Department of Marketing Services to review requests by state

agencies for expenditures for marketing purposes.

(b) At minimum, the study must analyze:

(1) the total costs incurred by each state agency for

marketing purposes and the total cost of each state-sponsored grant

or loan program that specifically allocates money for marketing

purposes by state agencies;

(2) the number of full-time equivalent positions

necessary to create a Department of Marketing Services and the

duties and salaries of each of these positions;

(3) all other costs associated with creation of a

Department of Marketing Services;

(4) the results of the marketing efforts of each state

agency and the method used to measure those results; and

(5) the potential cost savings to the state if the

marketing services of each state agency, and any related full-time

equivalent positions, are consolidated into a Department of

Marketing Services.

SECTION 3. REPORT. (a) The office shall prepare and submit

a report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of

the house of representatives, and each other member of the

legislature not later than September 30, 2028.

(b) The report must include:

(1) the findings and recommendations of the study

conducted under Section 2 of this Act;

(2) a complete description of each method used to

measure the marketing results obtained by each state agency;

(3) an analysis of the total costs described by

Section 2(b)(1) of this Act, with separate line items for each state

agency describing the marketing-related travel expenses, other

direct and indirect marketing and advertising expenses, marketing

consulting costs, and costs associated with each related full-time

equivalent position for that agency; and

(4) a description of the overall feasibility of, and

the estimated cost savings, if any, attributable to, the

consolidation of the marketing efforts by each state agency into a

Department of Marketing Services.

SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires September 1, 2029.

SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect

immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members

elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas

Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for

immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2027.