Biden Refuses to Secure the Border

Cartels are controlling the border, deadly fentanyl is pouring in and devastating our communities, sex trafficking of women and children is running rampant, terrorists and criminals are among those crossing illegally…the list goes on and on. This is a crisis for Texas and America that will continue to get worse so long as Biden is in the White House. I was on The Record with Greta Van Susteren to talk about this horrible situation. Click here to watch the interview.

A Historic Day in Texas

I was joined by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), Sen. Donna Campbell (R- New Braunfels), Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), and Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe).

I started working to reduce property taxes at a Capitol hearing in 2003, four years before I was elected to the Texas Senate, and I have not stopped since then. It has been a long road, but this is a historic day for all property owners.

When I took office as Lt. Governor in 2015, the homestead exemption was $15,000, and my goal was to increase it to $100,000. In 2015, we increased it to $25,000. In 2021, we increased it to $40,000. This session, our record budget surplus gave us the opportunity to increase the homestead exemption to $100,000.

Today, I attended the ceremonial signing for the largest property tax cut in Texas HISTORY!

Senate Bill 2, authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R- Houston, increases the homestead exemption to $100,000 for homeowners under age 65 and $110,000 for homeowners age 65 and over. The average home value in Texas is $330,000, and a homeowner living in that home will receive a yearly permanent tax cut of $1,250 to $1,450 as long as they live in a homestead property. Over the life of a typical 25-year mortgage, homeowners could save between $25,000 and $30,000.

I also prioritized giving relief to small and mid-sized businesses. Senate Bill 3 increases the threshold before small businesses are required to pay and file franchise taxes. 67,000 small businesses will no longer be burdened by the franchise tax altogether so our businesses can continue to grow jobs and power the Texas economy forward.

I was relentless in my goal of delivering a $100,000 homestead exemption and providing lasting property tax relief for Texas homeowners…and the battle is won!

This deal represents a significant win for providing relief to Texas property owners and reflects the commitment of Texas leaders to address the concerns of taxpayers and provide significant relief from the burden of escalating property taxes.

I thank all 31 senators for working together and being patient through this process. I especially thank Senator Bettencourt for his tireless work on this legislation.

Highlights of the $18 billion tax cut legislation include:

1. Over $18 billion will be spent on reducing the school property tax rate for all homeowners and business properties.
2. Every homeowner who homesteads their home (approximately 5.7 million homeowners) will get a $100,000 homestead exemption.
3. Non-homestead properties, valued at $5 million and under, including residential and commercial properties, will receive a 20% circuit breaker on appraised values as a 3-year pilot project.
4. Legislation will also include savings on the franchise tax for small businesses and create newly elected positions on local appraisal boards.

The Constitutional Amendment for the $100,000 homestead exemption will be on the ballot this November. If approved, the $100,000 homestead exemption will be permanent and codified in the Texas Constitution.

Visiting the Johnson Space Center

The tour includes a visit to the original Mission Control room preserved to every detail as it was on the day we landed on the moon.

The new Mission Control Center with live shots from the Space Station.

 
The new Orion, Artemis II, is the training space capsule that will take four astronauts to the moon in late 2024 or 2025. It's larger than past capsules, but still very tight quarters for four astronauts (this is the training capsule).

This session we made a major investment from our surplus to expand our space footprint in Texas in partnership with NASA. If you have not visited the Johnson Space Center, you should. It's a great experience for kids of all ages and adults. They provide Space Camp for kids, sleepovers for entire families, and create educational programs for school students all across Texas. They set a record last year with over 1.3 million visitors. I took some of my grandkids on Tuesday. They loved it.

Thank you all for your support and everything you do to keep Texas red. May God bless you and your family, and may He continue to bless the greatest state of all—Texas.

Sincerely,

Dan Patrick
Lieutenant Governor of Texas

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"Whomever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant."
Matthew 20:26 (NLT)

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*Correction from previous email.

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