• Senate Bill 4 | Senate Joint Resolution 2 (Bettencourt, et al. | SP: Meyer, et al.) increases the homestead exemption from school district property taxes from $100,000 to $140,000. Additionally, Senate Bill 1, the General Appropriations Act, provides increased school district tax rate compression. The combined tax relief will amount to nearly $500 in annual savings for the average homestead property owner.  

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• House Bill 9 | House Joint Resolution 1 (Meyer, et al. | SP: Bettencourt) raises the exemption from the business personal property tax from $2,500 to $125,000. This would ensure that many smaller businesses do not pay the tax at all, and reduces the overall burden of the tax on the business community.

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• House Bill 22 (Noble, et al. | SP: Hinojosa, Adam) eliminates taxes on intangible personal property, including copyrights, trademarks, and patents.

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• House Bill 30 (Troxclair, et al. | SP: Bettencourt) restricts how high most taxing units can set their property rates in the aftermath of a disaster without the approval of voters in an election. HB 30 will prevent disasters from being used as “cover” for increasing taxes, while still giving taxing units the flexibility they need to respond to disasters.

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• Senate Joint Resolution 18 (Perry | SP: Capriglione, et al.) would prohibit the imposition of a state tax on the capital gains- whether realized or unrealized- of an individual, family, trust, or estate.

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• House Joint Resolution 4 (Meyer, et al. | SP: Parker) proposes a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the imposition of a tax on the sale or purchase of a financial security (e.g., stocks and bonds), as well as an occupation tax on certain financial entities regulated by either the federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, including banks, brokers, and stock exchanges.

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• House Joint Resolution 2 (Geren, et al. | SP: Perry) would prohibit the imposition of a state death tax or a tax on gifts during the giver’s lifetime, ensuring that Texas does not join the minority of states that impose such taxes.

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• House Bill 21 (Gates, et al. | SP: Bettencourt) prohibits housing finance corporations (HFCs) from owning real property for residential development outside the boundaries of their sponsoring local government. The bill similarly restricts the residential developments for which HFCs can issue bonds. Some HFCs have previously taken advantage of a loophole that resulted in taxpayers outside an HFC’s jurisdiction subsidizing that HFC through property taxes.

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• House Bill 1533 (Button, et al. | SP: Bettencourt) makes numerous changes to the property appraisal system, generally making it more friendly to property owners. It increases limitations on appraisal review boards, improves training for the members of these boards, and more.

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• House Bill 3526 (Capriglione, et al. | SP: West) enhances fiscal transparency for bonds proposed or issued by local government entities by providing clear and comprehensive information about these bonds, such as the amount needed to annually service the debt. The bill requires that all reported bond information be maintained and presented on the Texas Bond Review Board’s (BRB) public website in language that is easily readable and understandable.

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• Senate Bill 23 | Senate Joint Resolution 85 (Bettencourt | SP: Meyer, et al.) increases the additional school district property tax homestead exemption for property owners who are either disabled or age 65 or older from $10,000 to $60,000.

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• Senate Bill 843 (Kolkhorst | SP: Buckley) requires the Texas Education Agency to develop a database of public school bonds, taxes, and bond-related projects that contains information such as the effect of a bond issuance on a school district’s interest and sinking (I&S) property tax rate. This database will improve public transparency and ensure that bond proceeds are being used effectively and efficiently.