SEN. KOLKHORST DISCUSSES OPENING OF SPECIAL SESSION FOR PROPERTY TAXES, RECAPS REGULAR SESSION
(R-Brenham)
The Texas Legislature opened its second special session on Wednesday, focused on uniting both chambers on a measure to provide citizens with property tax relief.
Lawmakers concluded their regular session and first special session with differing views on how to use a $32.7 billion budget surplus to lower property taxes. The lack of a resolution led Governor Greg Abbott to veto a near-record number of bills, second only to the 2001 Legislature under former Governor Rick Perry, saying they could be reconsidered after an agreement on property taxes had been reached.
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst says the surplus will mean “historic tax breaks” for property owners, but right now it is a matter of what those will look like.
Kolkhorst says the Senate has a “three-fold approach” in its plan, attempting to provide a $100,000 homestead exemption, school tax compression by providing money for districts to lower their tax rates, and franchise tax reduction for small businesses.
Meanwhile, the House has emphasized compression of school taxes in its plan, sending all of the money dedicated to lowering taxes to school districts instead of increasing homestead exemptions.
Whichever method is selected, Kolkhorst hopes legislators can find a path forward together soon.
Recapping the 140 days of the regular session, Kolkhorst pointed to additional mental health resources, a new funding formula for community colleges, extra funding for renovations at Washington-on-the-Brazos, pay raises for State Supported Living Center staff and addressing nursing staff shortages as some of the state’s accomplishments. Her bill restricting the purchase of Texas farmland, oil and gas rights, timber and rare earth materials by hostile foreign entities did not make it through the House after passing in the Senate.
Kolkhorst is disappointed that teacher pay raises have not been secured yet, but the Senate’s property tax relief bill passed on Wednesday seeks to do that by giving teachers an extra $2,000 if they are employed by a school district that has more than 20,000 students and $6,000 for teachers in districts with fewer than 20,000 students.