- Legislative Session Winding Down
- Lawmakers Approve $338 Billion Budget
- GOP Leaders Applaud $10.3 Billion Property Tax Relief Package
Legislative Session Winding Down
The Texas Legislature is winding down, with the 89th session coming to an end on Monday. Over the next several weeks, The Texas Voice will be taking a closer look at the issues state lawmakers tackled this year – stay tuned!
As always, our inbox is open for news tips, story ideas, and other reader feedback. We can be reached at voice–at–thetexasvoice.com.
Lawmakers Approve $338 Billion Budget
The Texas House and Texas Senate approved the conference committee report on Senate Bill 1 – the state budget – on Saturday. Coming in at $338 for the biennium, the budget passed the Senate 30-0 and 107-21 in the Texas House.
“This budget reflects conservative principles of fiscal responsibility and prioritizing the needs of Texans,” said State Senator Joan Huffman, the author of Senate Bill 1 and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. “Through months of diligent work and principled negotiations, we have crafted a balanced budget that adheres to our constitutional and statutory spending limits while addressing the challenges of our growing state. Despite pressures from population growth and global economic uncertainties, this budget ensures Texas remains the premier destination for families, businesses, and opportunity, thanks to the Legislature’s steadfast commitment to fiscal discipline and the well-being of our citizens.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also commended the budget as a fiscally responsible approach to addressing Texas’ needs.
“Texas becomes stronger and stronger each biennium because our conservative principles guide our approach to budgeting. These principles have kept our state on the right track and will continue to do so for years to come. The Senate’s All Funds budget for Texas was 1.2% larger than last biennium, well within our limit of population growth times inflation,” said Patrick.
“This session, Senate Finance Chair Joan Huffman has done a masterful job, committing a record $51 billion for property tax relief and a record $8.5 billion for public education funding, all while keeping our budget conservative, with billions of dollars unspent and without touching the rainy day fund. Nearly one out of every four dollars in state funds has been devoted to property tax relief for Texans. Over the coming sessions, I remain committed to returning even more money to taxpayers to fight back against local government property taxes, while maintaining our steadfast commitment to public education, which accounts for almost half of Texas’ budget.”
GOP Leaders Applaud $10.3 Billion Property Tax Relief Package
During his State of the State address earlier this year, Governor Greg Abbott prioritized property tax relief, urging lawmakers to pass $10 billion in property tax relief.
The legislature delivered on that mandate, passing a $10.3 billion property tax relief package. That package includes proposals to be decided by voters in November to raise the homestead exemption to $140,000, with an increase to $200,000 for Texans who are over 65 years old or disabled. The state budget also included additional funding for buying down school district property tax rates, known as compression.
In a joint statement, Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and Speaker Dustin Burrows applauded the passage of property tax relief.
“Never before has the Texas Legislature allocated more funds to provide property tax relief than they did this session,” said Governor Abbott. “I thank Lieutenant Governor Patrick, Speaker Burrows, and the members of the Texas House and Senate for providing Texans with badly-needed property tax reductions. I will sign these bills into law to deliver lasting relief for Texans and their families, and I urge Texans to approve the new increases in the homestead and business property tax exemptions this November.”
“When I became Lieutenant Governor in 2015, the homestead exemption was a tiny $15,000,” said Lieutenant Governor Patrick. “Since then, we have increased it to $100,000, and with the passage of Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23, it is now $200,000 for seniors and $140,000 for non-seniors. The average senior homeowner will no longer pay any school property taxes for the rest of their life as long as they live in their home. Homeowners under 65 years old will now see almost 50% of their school taxes cut. Nearly 25% of our all state funds budget this year is going to property tax relief. We have come a long way in the last 10 years, when only a small percentage of our budget went to property tax relief.”
“With the Legislature’s overwhelming passage of additional property tax relief, Texas home and business owners are on their way to keeping more of their hard-earned money,” said Speaker Burrows. “Texas House members worked with our Senate counterparts to deliver these savings. I want to thank House members for coming together to pass this priority legislation, and I look forward to Texas voters approving these measures on the ballot this fall.”
ICYMI
Gun Rights Advocates Achieve Big Legislative Victories
