From 2003–2008, he served as chairman of the House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism. As chairman of the committee, Hilderbran oversaw the regulation and control of hunting and fishing, the preservation of wildlife and fish, the operation and control of state parks, the development and regulation of the state's cultural and historical resources, and the promotion of international and interstate tourism. The committee has jurisdiction over the Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Historical Commission, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.