Good morning, 

There's another election on the horizon.

Here is the Texas Minute for Monday, April 11, 2022.

– Brandon Waltens 

• On May 7, Texas voters will head to the polls for another round of elections. 
   
• These are not the primary runoff elections (those will be held on May 24). Instead, voters will have the opportunity to approve two proposed constitutional amendments, in addition to local races in many parts of the state. These local races are for city council, school board, and utility districts, and can include city charter changes, bond (debt) levies, and even direct tax increases. 
   
• Both proposed amendments seek to lower property taxes for some Texans. But will the state legislature act to lower them for all taxpayers?

• Over the past two decades, property tax rates across the state have increased by 181 percent, according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation. 
   

• After failing to pass meaningful property tax relief in the last legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a special election for May 7, 2022, where citizens will vote on two propositions aiming to provide property tax relief for some across the state.
   

• Proposition 1 would lower the property tax rate on homesteads for both disabled residents and those over the age of 65. Specifically, the amendment would limit the amount of school maintenance and operations taxes those residents are required to pay.
   
• Proposition 2 would increase the homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000. 

• Many believe these propositions do not go far enough to alleviate the financial strain caused by property taxes, and that lawmakers should instead focus on eliminating them completely.

• Tim Hardin, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, expressed his belief that the amendments will not provide enough financial relief for Texas citizens and chastised lawmakers for failing to pass property tax relief legislation.

• “Many Texans are looking forward to voting on the property tax propositions that will be on the ballot on May 7, 2022, but it is wise to remind ourselves why these proposals are on the ballot as opposed to real property tax relief,” said Hardin. “The homestead exemption increase and the newest property tax carveout are a direct result of the failure of the Legislature to act on property tax relief in the regular session and the subsequent three special sessions."

• In response to this drastic rise of property taxes, more than three-quarters of Texas Republicans approved a recent proposition included on the March primary ballot in favor of eliminating property taxes altogether.
   
• When lawmakers start the next legislative session in January 2023, they are expected to be greeted with a $25 billion surplus. Will they return that money to the taxpayers by working to lower and eventually eliminate property taxes? Or, will they use the surplus to continue growing the size of government?

Your Federal & State Lawmakers

The districts displayed here should reflect those recently redrawn by the Legislature. Though the new lines do not take representational effect until 2023, they will appear on the 2022 ballot. Please note that your incumbent legislator and/or district numbers may have changed.