Overall Vote Recommendation

Neutral

Principle Criteria

Free Enterprise

Property Rights

Personal Responsibility

Limited Government

Individual Liberty

Digest

SB 1717 proposes a comprehensive change to the language used in Texas statutes and official state publications by replacing the term “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America.” The bill establishes a new chapter in the Government Code—Chapter 394, titled the Gulf of America Language Initiative—that sets forth the Legislature’s intent to adopt this terminology moving forward. According to the bill’s findings, the term "Gulf of Mexico" is considered by the Legislature to be outdated and inaccurate, and the legislation directs that “Gulf of America” become the preferred term in all future references.

The bill requires all new and revised laws, resolutions, and administrative documents issued by state agencies to use “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.” The Texas Legislative Council and state agencies are instructed to make this substitution when statutes or rules are amended or reissued. Additionally, the bill adds provisions to the Sunset Act review process, mandating that the Sunset Commission evaluate agency documents for conformity with the new terminology.

SB 1717 includes conforming amendments across several sections of Texas law to implement the terminology change, including the Agriculture Code, Alcoholic Beverage Code, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, and various uncodified statutory provisions. These changes affect how geographical references are worded in existing statutes but do not alter the underlying legal effects of those laws. The bill does not impose criminal penalties or alter individual rights but instead focuses solely on state government language usage.

The originally filed version of SB 1717 and the Committee Substitute version share the same core objective: to replace the term “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America” in Texas statutes. However, there are notable structural, procedural, and stylistic differences between the two versions that reflect the bill’s refinement during the committee process.

First, the original version of the bill places the Gulf of America Language Initiative in Chapter 452, Subtitle D, Title 4 of the Government Code, while the Committee Substitute moves it to Chapter 394, Subtitle Z, Title 3. This repositioning likely reflects a strategic decision to better align the bill’s scope with broader government or legislative operations rather than only state agencies. The Committee Substitute also simplifies the title of the initiative from “Gulf of America Statutory Language Initiative” to “Gulf of America Language Initiative.”

Second, the original version contains slightly more elaborate provisions directing state agencies and the Sunset Advisory Commission to adopt the new terminology. In particular, the original version includes Section 325.0129, titled “Gulf of America Statutory Language Promotion,” which assigns a broader role to executive commissioners of state agencies in ensuring terminology compliance in rulemaking and publications. This section appears to have been removed or consolidated in the committee substitute, possibly to streamline enforcement and avoid redundancy.

Third, the organizational structure of the bill has been streamlined. While both versions amend a large number of statutory codes (Agriculture, Government, Natural Resources, etc.), the committee substitute rearranges and simplifies some of the statutory references and sections to make them more concise. Additionally, the substitute version avoids duplicative language and appears to harmonize the language more closely with drafting conventions and existing statutory formats as outlined in the Texas Legislative Drafting Manual.

In summary, while the legislative intent remains unchanged between the filed and substitute versions, the Committee Substitute reflects more precise placement within the statutory framework, more efficient language, and a narrowed focus on agency responsibilities, improving clarity and potentially easing implementation.

Author (1)

Mayes Middleton

Co-Author (4)

Brandon Creighton

Bob Hall

Adam Hinojosa

Charles Schwertner

Contact the Author

Sen. Mayes Middleton

Capitol Phone:

(512) 463-0111

Capitol Office:

EXT E1.706

E-Mail:

[email protected]

Visit Official Website

Vote Recommendation Notes

SB 1717 proposes replacing all references to the "Gulf of Mexico" with the "Gulf of America" in Texas statutes, administrative rules, and official publications. This shift follows a federal executive order and would require state agencies and the Texas Legislative Council to adopt the new terminology as laws and policies are updated. The bill includes extensive conforming amendments across numerous sections of Texas law but does not change any underlying regulatory or legal substance.

While the bill has a clear symbolic intent, it lacks meaningful policy or legal consequences. It does not impose new costs directly on the public, restrict rights, or alter the responsibilities of private individuals or businesses. However, it does consume legislative time and administrative bandwidth that could arguably be better spent on substantive policy matters. Its practical effect is negligible, and the changes are aesthetic and semantic rather than functional.

From a liberty principles standpoint, SB 1717 does not clearly advance or infringe upon individual liberty, personal responsibility, private property rights, or free enterprise. While it could be seen as contrary to limited government due to the symbolic use of state resources, this effect is modest and largely procedural. Given the bill’s lack of substantive impact, and the fact that reasonable arguments can be made both for and against it based on values or preference, Texas Policy Research remains NEUTRAL on SB 1717. This position acknowledges the bill as nonessential and symbolic but not inherently harmful.

Individual Liberty: The bill does not affect personal freedoms, civil rights, or constitutional liberties. Texans are not required to adopt or use the term “Gulf of America” in private life, education, or business. The bill only directs the state government and its agencies on how they refer to the body of water in official texts. Thus, there is no expansion or restriction of individual liberty.
Personal Responsibility: This legislation does not create or remove any expectations for individuals to act responsibly. It does not incentivize or penalize behavior. As such, it has no impact on cultivating a culture of self-governance or accountability.
Free Enterprise: While not a direct regulation on business, the bill may indirectly burden some sectors, especially legal, environmental, or coastal industries that must interact with state regulations, maps, or contracts now subject to updated terminology. These entities may need to revise documents for consistency or clarity, adding small administrative costs without providing any new value. This cuts against the principle of minimizing government interference in economic activity.
Private Property Rights: The bill makes no changes to land use, ownership rights, or the legal standing of property adjacent to coastal waters. However, the renaming could introduce some short-term confusion in interpreting historical legal descriptions, titles, or geographic references, though these impacts are likely minimal and correctable.
Limited Government: This is the area where the bill conflicts most clearly with liberty principles. The bill mandates a broad, symbolic change that applies to hundreds of statutory references across more than a dozen codes, requiring state agencies to spend time and resources updating terminology with no substantive policy change. It assigns responsibilities to the Sunset Advisory Commission and state agency heads to oversee this compliance. From a limited government perspective, this use of state machinery for purely symbolic language modification is seen as an inefficient expansion of state focus into nonessential tasks.

Related Legislation

HB 2246 (Similar To)

View Bill Text and Status