Eagle Pass Rep Eddie Morales Files 14 Bills Including FM 1021 And Border Hotel Tax Changes
State Rep. Eddie Morales Jr. filed 14 bills on the first day of prefiling, including FM 1021 in Maverick County, border hotel taxes and free park entry for retired officers.
EAGLE PASS, Texas – State Rep. Eddie Morales Jr. filed 14 bills on the first day of prefiling for the 2027 legislative session, including one aimed at Farm-to-Market Road 1021 in Maverick County and another that would change hotel occupancy tax rules for two border communities in his district, according to Texas Legislature Online.
Lawmakers began prefiling bills Monday Nov. 9 for the 90th Texas Legislature, which opens its regular session in January. More than 1,200 bills and resolutions were filed that day, according to the Texas Legislature Online bills by filing date report. Every Morales bill lists him as “Morales of Maverick.”
FM 1021 In Maverick Dimmit And Webb Counties
House Bill 171 is a one-page bill. It would direct the Texas Transportation Commission to designate Farm-to-Market Road 1021 in Dimmit, Maverick and Webb counties as part of the state highway system under Section 201.103 of the Texas Transportation Code, according to the bill text. FM 1021 runs south from Eagle Pass toward El Indio.
The bill does not spell out what the designation would change for drivers or how the road would be funded, and Morales has not released a statement on it. It would take effect immediately with a two-thirds vote in both chambers, or Sept. 1, 2027 otherwise.
Hotel Taxes In Kinney County And Alpine
House Bill 161 would let the commissioners court of a county that borders Mexico and contains part of the West Nueces River impose a county hotel occupancy tax, according to the bill text. The Handbook of Texas says the West Nueces flows from Edwards County through Kinney County into Uvalde County, and Kinney is the only one of the three that borders Mexico. The county tax would not apply to hotels inside a city that already charges its own hotel tax.
The same bill would repeal Section 351.1035 of the Texas Tax Code. That section applies to the largest city in a border county that contains a national park of more than 400,000 acres, which fits Alpine in Brewster County, home of Big Bend National Park. It requires that city to spend at least half of its hotel tax money on advertising and tourism promotion and caps spending on the arts and on historic preservation at 15% each.
Free State Park Entry For Retired Officers And License Waivers
House Bill 134 would let honorably retired peace officers who have lived in Texas for at least six months get a state parklands passport, which allows free entry to state parks, according to the bill text.
It would also require the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to waive the fee for the Super Combination hunting license and All-Water fishing pass for qualified veterans with a disability, Texas residents on active duty in the U.S. armed forces or Texas military forces, and honorably retired Texas peace officers. That package bundles a resident hunting license, a resident fishing license and the related game bird, archery and fish stamps and tags. The changes would take effect Sept. 1, 2027.
Border Barriers On State Parks
House Bill 111 would bar state and local governments from agreeing to install a border wall, fence or other barrier on state park property, according to the bill text. The Maverick Times has a separate story on that bill.
The Rest Of The Morales Bills
- HB 201 would let a seven-member school board in a small district shrink to five members if it could not fill all seats in the last two trustee elections.
- HB 203 would make personal information collected from people who report for jury duty, such as home addresses, phone numbers and driver’s license numbers, confidential unless a judge allows its release for good cause.
- HB 220 would let the Railroad Commission of Texas impose administrative penalties on propane distribution system retailers.
- HB 241 would let county and district attorneys, not just the attorney general, enforce human trafficking awareness and prevention rules at hotels and other commercial lodging.
- HB 262 would require commercial oil and gas waste disposal facilities regulated by the Railroad Commission to carry performance bonds or other financial security, and would impose a fee.
- HB 299 would widen a grant program for public improvement projects in unincorporated communities to more border counties.
- HB 368 would require the state comptroller to approve certain outside legal services contracts between private attorneys and the attorney general, and would set an administrative fee.
- HB 380 deals with the prosecution of aggravated kidnapping.
- HB 410 would require every law enforcement agency in Texas to adopt and post a policy limiting when officers can wear face coverings on duty, and would create a criminal offense.
- HB 433 would make the golden-cheeked warbler the state bird in place of the mockingbird.
What Happens Next
Prefiled bills are referred to committees once the session begins in January. Each would need to clear a House committee, the full House and the Senate before reaching the governor. The Maverick Times will follow the local bills through the session.
Read more: Eagle Pass Rep Eddie Morales Backs Senfronia Thompson For Texas House Speaker
Also read: Eagle Pass Gets 15 Million State Loan To Rebuild And Extend Patsy Winn Boulevard
Sources: Texas Legislature Online bills by filing date report for Nov. 9, 2026 | Introduced text of HB 171, HB 161, HB 134, HB 111, HB 410 and HB 433 | Texas Tax Code Chapter 351 | Handbook of Texas, West Nueces River
Photo: State Rep. Eddie Morales Jr., from his official X account.
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