Good morning,

This might surprise you, but your fellow readers have some very definite opinions about property tax relief. Down below, you'll find the responses to yesterday's survey.

But first, this is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Abbott Issues 76 Vetoes...

• In the final hours of which he could sign legislation into law, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed 76 bills—a personal record number since he took office in 2015 but short of the state's all-time high of 82 vetoes issued by Rick Perry in 2001. Brandon Waltens has the details.
       

• Abbott had threatened last week to veto bills as the two chambers failed to reach a compromise on property tax relief, causing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to say Abbott was “threatening to destroy” the work of the Legislature in a “ploy to apparently get his way[.]”
      
• The vetoed bills represent around 6 percent of the 1,250 House and Senate bills that were sent to the governor for his consideration; 54 Senate bills were vetoed, compared to 22 House bills.
      
• In statements attached to the majority of his vetoed bills, Abbott offered an explanation: “This bill can be reconsidered at a future special session only after property tax relief is passed.”
      
• On other bills, notably those by school choice opponents like State Reps. Glenn Rogers (R–Mineral Wells) and Ernest Bailes (R–Shepherd), Abbott said they could be considered after school choice legislation is passed.

... Signs Ban On DEI Into Law

• As college students across Texas head home for the summer, Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation prohibiting public universities from creating diversity, equity, and inclusion departments. But, as Katy Marshall reports, there are certain loopholes in the law.

        
• Senate Bill 17 by State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) bans Texas’ public universities from establishing a DEI office, using DEI criteria in their hiring practices, or requiring employees or prospective employees to attend DEI trainings.
       

• The restrictions do not apply to academic instruction, student organizations, student admissions, guest speakers, or research.
       

• The state auditor will review each university at least once every four years, and any institution that still has a DEI department or fails to meet the law’s other requirements will no longer receive state funding.

Harris County Approves Guaranteed-income Pilot Program

• As government agencies start to acknowledge the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, one Texas county may start giving away its federal relief funds as part of a guaranteed-income test program. Micah Rice has the story.

       
• The 18-month program would use $20.5 million from the $915 million of COVID-19 federal relief funds to send select individuals $500 a month. These checks would go to 1,500 random citizens living 200 percent below the poverty line across 10 zip codes. Currently, the program only applies to the district of Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis (D), who initially proposed the program.
       
• Charles Blain of the Urban Reform Institute explained that rather than focus on issues like lowering property taxes and reducing government burdens on businesses to increase the affordability of living in Harris County, poverty relief programs only provide short-term relief.
      
• “It’s easy for elected officials to give out money; what’s hard is for them to look at the policies they create and the ways in which they grow government, all of which increase the cost of government.” – Charles Blain

South Texas LGBT Groups Push ‘Gender Diversity’

• Throughout the month of June, the City of Brownsville and the South Texas Equality Project are pushing the LGBT political and cultural agenda. Valerie Muñoz reports the programs have included a drag show targeting children.
      

• The city's LGBT task force includes Joe Colon-Uvalles, a local drag performer who goes by the stage name “Kween Beatrix.”

Democrats Launch PAC Targeting Cruz

• A group of Texas Democrats has created a new super PAC called “Lose Cruz,” where they will dump millions in an attempt to prevent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz from getting re-elected in 2024. Soli Rice reports the PAC has already raised "millions" to attack Cruz.
      
• The founder of the PAC is Sean Haynes, who has worked for several Democrat politicians as well as former House Speaker Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio.
       
• U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas) has already announced his campaign against Cruz, meaning he won't be able to seek re-election to his safe seat in the U.S. House.
   
• It has been nearly 30 years since a Democrat was elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas.

London Announces Rematch Against Holland

• In North Texas, Dennis London is again challenging four-term incumbent State Rep. Justin Holland (R–Heath) to represent Texas House District 33, which includes Rockwall County and part of southern Collin County. Erin Anderson has the story.
   
• London challenged Holland in the 2022 GOP primary, drawing 26 percent of the vote to Holland’s 69 percent in a three-way race.
       
• Holland drew widespread condemnation in May for supporting a controversial gun control measure. Last week, the incumbent attacked Republican Party officials and local activists as “irrelevant.” 

📺 Macias: It's War!

• On this week's edition of his show, Luke Macias explains why two Republican members of the Texas House are going to war with their party's top activists.
      
• You can find the Luke Macias Show on the Texas Scorecard website, YouTube channel, or anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Y'All Answered

In yesterday's Texas Minute, we asked about the two competing legislative proposals for distributing $12.3 billion in property tax relief. The Abbott/Phelan plan puts all the money in "rate compression," while the Patrick/Senate plan does less compression but expands the homestead exemption.

By a margin of 76.5% to 23.5%, readers preferred the "Patrick/Senate" plan of the two active choices.

Here is a sampling of the additional comments folks sent...

• “Both plans ignore the source of the problem… Unbridled spending! Short-term, even with the prospect of ever-increasing appraisals, the Senate plan better serves property owners.” – Jack Boteler
      

• "My answer for property taxes is to ELIMINATE PROPERTY TAXES, cut out corporate welfare, and vastly REDUCE government. Public schools need to get out from under the shackles of government-funded everything. Cut the shackles of government." – Nancy Wood
      

• "I chose the Patrick/Senate proposal because I firmly believe that homestead tax relief is our first priority, at least until our state eliminates property tax altogether." – Phil Papick
      

• "I chose the Abbott-Phelan plan because the Senate plan would not apply to my non-homestead property, and I'm tired of the school districts raking us over the coals. However, neither plan offers nearly enough to the property owner in light of the size of the state treasury surplus. The relief should be in the $20 million range." – Charlie Crowell
      

• “Rate compression is the best long-term solution. But the focus should not be which plan. The focus should be, 'Why is the number 12 billion and not 32 billion?'” – Fran Rhodes
      

• “Actually, I’m not a fan of either plan. Relief should start with the $32 billion surplus. I like Huffines’ plan to buy out school property taxes.” – Scott Jones
      

• “This whole thing is like arguing whether to serve peas or carrots with a meal. I DON’T CARE! Just do SOMETHING!” – Priscilla Love
      

• “I need another choice! Looks like I still have to pay rent for the property I paid for.” – Gene Klutts
      

• “You didn't have a ‘None of the Above’ option. We want the whole [surplus] put towards the compression so there are no more property taxes for everyone!” – Jim & Melissa Hughes
      

• “The Abbott plan will provide tax relief for all classes of property taxpayers, including the farms and businesses that provide the private sector employment that we conservatives believe in! This will make Texas even more competitive in attracting businesses here, driving better jobs, better pay, and more opportunity.” – Bill Jerke
      

• “I opted for the Patrick/Senate plan, but my first choice is to eliminate property tax altogether. Once you work all your life to buy your home, no one should be allowed to take it from you. It is not the fault of the homeowner that blue states are compelling their people to move here and inflating the appraisal of homes.” – Wendy Nylaan
      

• “Businesses can usually pass along their property tax costs to their customers. Homeowners foot their entire property tax bill. The Senate plan helps the most people in the greatest way. Why is there any doubt about which plan is better?” – David Holden
      

• “The House leadership under Phelan is so not trustworthy. I don’t trust Phelan on this either.” – Glenda Piacenti
       

• "Usually, I'm more on Dan Patrick's side, but we need a long-term solution here, not a short-term ‘fix’ which dies over the next ten years with hardly a whimper.” – Alton Moore
      

• “Any plan Dale Phelan is behind will not get the job done. Don’t really like either plan, as property taxes need to go away for all ages, but especially those 65 and over. You should not lose your home or land over unpaid property taxes.” – Debra Davis
       

• “While I don’t completely agree with either plan, I do completely agree with the plan Don Huffines proposed; that being, eliminate property tax.” – JD Ross
       

• “I am fond of tax reduction in any form. However, I am not fond of politicians deciding who wins and who loses, who gets a reduction, and who does not. I am a proponent of compressing the tax rate on all properties.” – Gyle Dale
       

• “I still favor Patrick's plan. The ‘compression’ plan spreads the benefits to more taxpayers, but the lowest taxpayer on the totem pole is the individual homeowner. They have no way to pass those taxes along and spread their tax pain to others.” – Patrick Bell
      

• “The Abbott/Phelan proposal sounds good, but who trusts Phelan? So I choose the Patrick/Senate plan.” – Virginia Choate
      

• “I voted for the Senate plan as I see it as better for homeowners. It certainly works better for me.” – Mike Masterson
      

• "SIMPLE: Quit financing public centers for indoctrination rather than education!  Remove the federal government's ability to DICTATE how/what our Texas children are 'taught' at school." – Donna Lassitter
      

• “Neither plan does enough to make a substantial impact for homeowners. Gee, we also thought the original idea/goal was to do away with property taxes altogether. What happened?!” – Kelly Palmer
       

• “The elimination of property taxes is the only way to be truly free from the serfdom of the state.” – Peter Micus
      

• "Personally, I think they should give us both." – Linda Holt
      

• “Our state has collected over $30 billion over the submitted budget, and the politicians only want to discuss this disgraceful amount! Return all of the excess to the taxpayers.” – Thomas Domingos
      

• “Although I selected the Senate plan, I have an issue with both plans. I think the Senate plan falls short because it doesn’t include an appraisal cap. I think the House plan falls short because the compression amount is too low. My first choice is the one that the House passed in the regular session: SB103 88(r)…it had a 100k homestead exemption, $16B in compression, and a 5% appraisal cap for all property owners. We are newly retired and have a modest pension.  We had planned to purchase a rental home to help supplement our income in retirement, but it seems impossible with the unpredictable nature of property taxes in Texas. Not all landlords are millionaires — certainly we aren’t!” – David Kirk Sr.
      

• “Regarding property tax relief, Texas should institute a plan like CA did back in the '70s. Proposition 13 put a 1.5 % increase limit on taxes. Nobody’s taxes can be increased more than that each year. Why can’t we do something like that?” – Debbi Martinez
       

• “I want property taxes gone. We pay sales tax when we buy it, that SHOULD be it. We shouldn’t have to pay rent, to the state, forever!” – Bob Davis
      

• "I trust Dan Patrick way more than Abbott/Phelan in this matter. Lt. Dan is all over Texas radio today explaining how the Senate version is worth significantly more to homeowners than the House version. Phelan has disappeared." – Tim Rhodes
       

• "I am not a fan of either Abbott or Phelan, but we should include their plan in $24 billion in relief." – Mike Tayloe
      

• "I do not care for either plan. We had a surplus of $32.7 billion and they are only giving the people $12 billion back. $32.7 billion divided by 29 million in population equals = $1,127 per person. Give it all back to the people." – Gary Alford
       

• "I wish there was another choice, like what is good for Texas taxpayers!" – John R. Makow
       

• "Instead of $12.3 billion, how about $16.7 billion? It's our money, after all." – Dave Anthony

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