Good morning, 

Legislators gaveled in for the third special session of 2021. Curiously missing from Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda is anything to do with property taxes – but some legislators are spending time on the issue anyway. That’s a little background for the One Click Survey you will find at the end of today’s Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, September 21, 2021
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O’Rourke Inches Closer to Gubernatorial Run

• After failing to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2018, or the Democrat nomination for the presidency in 2020, does Robert “Beto” O’Rourke now have his eyes set on losing the 2022 gubernatorial race?
      
• With just over a year until the 2022 general election, desperation is growing for Democrats who still do not have a gubernatorial candidate. As a result, Griffin White reports, former U.S. Rep. Robert O’Rourke (D-El Paso) is preparing to mount a run.
        
• “We think he’ll be our strongest candidate. We think he can beat Abbott, because he’s vulnerable.” – Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Democratic Party of Texas

• In his bid for the White House, O’Rourke jumped to the far-left by telling voters: “Hell yes, we’re gonna take your AR-15.”
   
• Does he think that’ll sell to a Texas-only audience? 

Senate Pushes $100 Property Tax Relief

• Breaking with Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate are moving ahead this morning with a hearing on property tax relief legislation despite the issue not being on the agenda set by the governor. Under the Texas Constitution, special legislative sessions are called at the discretion of the governor who also sets the agenda.
   
• Gov. Abbott’s special session “call” does not include property tax relief, though he could add it.
    
• The Senate’s measure would provide one-time relief. It amounts to approximately $100 for Texans with homes valued at around $300,000. 

City Rolls Back Spending, Freezes Taxes 

• For the first time in years, the city of Allen chose not to raise residents’ property tax bills. As Erin Anderson reports, credit for this new wave of fiscal responsibility goes to three new cost-conscious council members—and an active group of conservative citizens who helped elect them.
     

• Allen city officials initially budgeted based on a property tax rate above the state-defined ‘No New Revenue’ tax rate (in other words, a tax hike). But the city’s newest council members—Daren Meis, Dave Cornette, and Dave Shafer—all ran on a platform of maintaining city services without raising property taxes.
      

• “For the first time in at least 10 years, a homeowner in Allen is not getting an increase in their city property taxes.” – Daren Meis

Senate Releases Draft Map

• Over the weekend, the Texas Senate released a proposed senatorial district map for the state using the new data from the 2020 U.S. Census. Thanks to Texas’ growing population, lines will shift in all 31 districts. Check out Texas Scorecard later today, where Jeramy Kitchen will have a regional breakdown of the proposed changes in senatorial representation.
       
• Meanwhile, an immediate consequence of the Senate’s not-yet-adopted lines was seen in Senate District 24. Former State Sen. Pete Flores announced he will be seeking the GOP nomination for the seat. He previously represented SD19 as a Republican, but under the proposed map his home is situated in SD24. The incumbent SD24 senator, Dr. Dawn Buckingham, announced earlier this year she was leaving the Senate to run for Texas Land Commissioner – that’s the office George P. Bush is giving up to challenge Ken Paxton for Attorney General.
      
• Shortly after Flores’ announcement, Sen. Buckingham endorsed him.
      
• This creates an uncertain political future for former Austin City Councilwoman Ellen Troxclair. She announced her GOP candidacy for the seat in June, and has been actively campaigning ever since – including yesterday in Bell County. Unfortunately for Troxclair, she does not reside in the proposed SD24 boundaries. If the proposed map is actually passed, Troxclair could move into the new SD24, continue her campaign in the district where she resides, or simply bow out of the 2022 election.

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Would you rather the Texas Legislature, in this third special session, use their limited time to provide $100 in temporary property tax relief or set a plan in motion to eliminate property taxes in Texas?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!

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