Texas House Approves Property Tax Relief; Patrick Says: Dead on Arrival In Senate

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A defiant Texas House, led by a Dallas lawmaker, on Thursday advanced its plan to give homeowners property tax relief.

It did so even though Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, only hours earlier, declared the House’s version dead on arrival in the Senate.

(Full story HERE (pay wall)
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House Speaker Phelan Clashes With Lt. Gov. Patrick Over Property Tax Cut Plan

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House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the two top Republicans in the Texas Legislature, have dug in their heels on how to reduce property owners’ tax burden — with dueling proposals on how to get it done and a path to a potential compromise unclear.

Patrick wants to raise the state’s homestead exemption — the dollar amount of a home’s value that can’t be taxed — on school district property taxes, with an additional boost for seniors. Phelan favors tightening the state’s “appraisal cap” on how much the value of a homeowner’s main residence taxed by school districts can rise each year. Each says the other’s proposal wouldn’t cut taxes meaningfully.

Patrick has been forceful in his opposition to Phelan’s appraisal cap proposal and drew a line in the sand this week, vowing not to compromise with the House on the idea.

(Full story HERE.)
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State Senators Unveil Property Tax Reduction Plan

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Texas Senate Republicans unveiled their plan to lower property taxes Tuesday, touting a $16.5 billion package they estimate will save the average homeowner nearly $800 on their tax bills for the next two years.

Senate Bill 3 raises the homestead exemption to $70,000. That exemption, the amount of your primary home’s value that is not taxed, is now $40,000. All 31 senators are joint authors of this proposal. SB 3 also triples the homestead exemptions for Texans who are disabled or over 65 to $30,000.

(Full story HERE.)
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O'Rourke Attacks Abbott Over Property Taxes

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Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke is pointing the finger at his opponent, Gov. Greg Abbott, over inflation and rising property taxes in the state.  

“He’s the single greatest driver of inflation in the state of Texas and it’s causing real pain to our fellow Texans right now,” O’Rourke told reporters on Wednesday, according to WFAA, an ABC affiliate in Texas.

“In the ninth largest economy on the planet and the wealthiest country in the world. It is not for lack of resources. It is for lack of political will,” O’Rourke added, according to the Palestine Herald-Press.

Abbott’s campaign responded to O’Rourke in a tweet, calling O'Rourke a "serial flip-flopped" and saying the governor, “has reduced property taxes for Texans by over $18B since taking office, while Beto has an established track-record of increasing property taxes while serving on the city council in El Paso.”

(Full story HERE.)
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Senate Bill Would Let Lakeside Properties To Secede From Austin

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A bill filed in the State Senate would allow hundreds of Lake Austin shoreline properties to disannex or "secede" from the City of Austin. 

State Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R-Lakeway) said she filed Senate Bill 659 because the Lake Austin properties – which had a property tax exemption granted to them in 1986 but repealed in 2019 by the Austin City Council – were not receiving City services. Those lakefront properties are now being charged property taxes from the City of Austin for the first time.

(Full story here.)

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Legislator Proposes Freeze On Home Repos For Delinquent Property Taxes

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State Rep. Terry Wilson (R - Marble Falls) is proposing a bill this legislative session to freeze seizures of a person's primary home for delinquent property taxes.

The bill, House Joint Resolution 43, proposes a constitutional amendment providing that, "a residence homestead is not subject to seizure or sale for delinquent ad valorem taxes."

If passed, it would add language to Texas law that states that, "A residence homestead is not subject to seizure or sale for the payment of delinquent taxes or penalties. The Legislature by general law may define residence homestead for purposes of this subsection."

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