TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2021 HOW TO

It's also unclear how much homeowners would even notice a property tax cut in the form of a homestead exemption. And since a considerable chunk of the surplus comes from an increase in the revenue generated by sales tax, some lawmakers have raised the question about the fairness of rewarding only homeowners when that money has come from Texans across the board. A property tax cut, for example, would more directly benefit homeowners rather than renters.

That plan carries the advantage of not having to reproduce that spending in the budget every two years, like with property tax relief, which is a recurring state cost.īut there are also other factors to consider. In the House, Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, has suggested allocating some of the surplus to one-time infrastructure spending. Patrick, whose railing against property taxes swept him into the Senate in 2007, has said he is committed to cutting property taxes but wants to move cautiously to ensure the state has enough money left over in its rainy day fund for emergency spending and for other state priorities. (The Legislature can vote to spend beyond the cap.) Dan Patrick, another property tax relief hawk, has introduced a note of caution, warning the Legislature could not spend half of the surplus without busting its self-imposed spending cap. Greg Abbott promised during his campaign to deliver ' the largest property tax cut in the history of the state.' He said he wanted to use half of the budget surplus to deliver on that promise. A share of it is reserved for highway funds, and some of it will flow into the state's rainy day fund, also called the Economic Stabilization Fund. The surplus, or one-time money that was left over from the previous budget cycle, is historic in its enormousness. 'It's always easiest to spend other people's money, so everyone is going to try to get their pet projects done,' said Brian Smith, a political scientist at St.

TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2021 HOW TO

The biggest topic of conversation heading into today is how to spend the state's $32.7 billion budget surplus, and everyone - including top legislative leadership - is chomping at the bit over how to use that cash. With major issues at play in the Capitol, here are six things The Texas Tribune is watching as Texas' 88th legislative session kicks off. Supreme Court decision and parents who have grown increasingly agitated about what public schools are teaching their children about gender, sex and race. Texas has seen major challenges since the last time lawmakers assembled in Austin in late 2021: a school shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, higher inflation hitting Texans in their pocketbooks, a record number of migrants attempting to cross the state's southern border, the outlawing of abortion following a U.S. But with rising costs due to inflation, lawmakers will also have to factor in how much more they'll have to spend in the state budget to cover infrastructure and staffing costs that keep the state running. With a record-breaking budget surplus, lawmakers will be putting out their hands for funding for their pet projects across the state, and top leaders will no longer have the ready excuse of limited means. Just how conservative they go will be the main question, as the battle between far-right, socially conservative Republicans and business-oriented GOP legislators, who have tried to move away from fights over social issues, continues within the party.ĭemocrats, who have been in the minority in both chambers of the Legislature for 20 years, will have limited tools to fend off Republican advances and will have to choose their battles wisely. That means Texans can expect the Legislature to continue to swing conservative on both fiscal and social matters. Republicans maintained their nearly 30-year dominance over Texas politics in last November's midterm elections, growing their majorities in both legislative chambers and keeping their grasp on every statewide elected office. Lawmakers returned to Austin on Tuesday for their biennial assembly to pass new laws and decide how to spend the state's money for the next two years. They'll debate over the state budget, school issues, border security and property taxes, among other issues.

Lawmakers begin work on Tuesday for their biennial legislative session.

Texas legislative session 2021