State Senator Drew Springer’s Capitol Update

Hello Friends,

This November, there will be 14 Propositions on the ballot which will give voters the opportunity to approve measures like property tax relief and funding for Texas’s future infrastructure needs. I know Ballot Propositions can be wordy and confusing, so I want to ensure that you have the tools and background knowledge to make an educated vote in November. As you scroll through and read each Proposition, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and my staff if you have any questions.

What it means: As Texas continues to increase in population and development, Texas loses more than 200,000 acres of farm and ranch land per year. Proposition 1 would constitutionally protect the right of Texans to engage in generally accepted agricultural practices on their own property without fearing that municipal encroachment will threaten their livelihood with broad overregulation that prohibit or greatly restrict normal practices.

What it means: Proposition 2 would allow the governing body of a county or municipality the ability to decide whether to give an exemption for part or all of the appraised value of the property of a childcare facility from property taxes in order to help lower childcare costs.

What it means: Proposition 3 would add language to the Texas Constitution prohibiting the State Legislature from creating a tax based on an individual’s wealth or assets. Currently, there is no prohibition on the State Legislature creating this type of tax and during the 2023 Legislative Session there were 8 states that introduced this kind of legislation. The intent of this proposition is to make sure Texans have a direct say in the possibility of a net worth tax being imposed by the legislature.

What it means: Proposition 4 amends the Constitution to do the following:

What it means: Texas currently has a fund that awards grants to Texas universities who preform research in specific areas. There has been a long-standing issue among some universities who maintain there are disparities in the way this fund is distributed. To address these long-standing concerns, Proposition 5 would redesignate how those funds are appropriated and distributed. The National Research University Fund would be redesignated as the Texas University Fund. Distribution of funds would be based on performance, would apply only to universities who are designated as major research universities, and who are not already receiving funding from the Public University Fund (PUF). The intent of Proposition 5 is to make these universities more competitive, stronger, and more vital, especially in areas that will be important for regional and state economic development. The initial schools that would benefit are the University of North Texas, Texas Tech University, Texas State University, and the University of Houston.

What it means: Proposition 6 would create the Texas Water Fund as a way to help finance water projects in the state. It will move $2 Billion from the Rainy Day Fund and will be overseen by the Texas Water Development Board. With the amount of people moving into Texas every month, water in Texas is a topic of discussion in every region of this state. While we welcome these 1st generation Texans that are coming to experience the Texas Miracle, they are not bringing their water with them. Water is a limited resource and many times the solutions to the water issues we face can take years to implement and are extremely expensive. It is estimated that to cover the aging infrastructure and build out water supply, it will take billions. The intent of this proposition is to help facilitate new and innovative ways to meet the needs of this state and fund those types of projects, as well as help with the aging infrastructure.

What it means: Winter Storm Uri revealed some of the failures in our electricity market, specifically reliability. We made significant improvement on some of those failures during the 87th legislature. Proposition 7 seeks to continue that improvement by creating The Texas Energy Fund, which will incentivize the completion of new or modernized electric thermal generating facilities through grants and zero interest loans. The enabling legislation for this proposition (SB 2627) would establish an advisory committee for the fund, mandate that money be allocated to eligible projects in every region of Texas in proportion to that region’s load share, and delineates the types of projects that can be funded.

What it means: According to recent studies, almost 2.8 million Texas households or roughly 7 million Texans do not have access to broadband Internet. Proposition 8 would create a specialized fund that would be used ONLY for the expansion of access to and adoption of broadband and telecommunications services. Covid showed us how great a need there is for people to be able to connect to broadband. When almost a quarter of Texas do not have the ability to attend online classes, complete a job application online, get access to healthcare online, or even be able to access the digital marketplace when they can’t leave their house, it creates barriers that negatively impacts Texas.

What it means: The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) provides retirement to almost 476,000 retired teachers. It has been many years since there has been a cost-of-living adjustment to this retirement system. Proposition 9 would provide a cost-of-living adjustment to eligible retirees, as well as a one-time payment to eligible retirees who are 75 years or older and retired as of 2001. Because the unprecedented inflation has dramatically increased the cost of expenses, especially in the last few years, teachers on a fixed income, relying on this retirement, have seen a steep decline in how far their money stretches each month.

What it means: This Proposition would provide for a tax exemption for medical or biomedical inventory including all types of medical devices and other products vital to the medical industry. Because of the current tax structure regarding inventory, most of the medical and biomedical manufacturing is located outside of the United States. The intent of Proposition 10 is to strengthen and increase our medical supply chain by encouraging the manufacturing and storage of these vital products in Texas.

What it means: In 2003, the Texas Constitution was amended to allow certain Texas counties to allow their conservation and reclamation districts to issue bonds to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreation facilities. Proposition 11 would allow El Paso County to be included in the list of counties allowed to do this

What it means: The Texas Constitution provides that the office of county treasurer in a specific county may be abolished by a constitutional amendment. Proposition 12 would apply only to Galveston County. It would abolish the office and allow the county to employ or contract with a qualified person to fulfill the functions that are currently performed by the Treasurer. The current Galveston treasurer called for eliminating the office while he was running for office.

What it means: Currently, the Texas Constitution mandates judges and justices to retire at the age of 75, but allows them to serve through 4 years of that term if they turn 75 during those years. Depending on the judicial office, some judges serve for 4 years and some for 6 years. Proposition 13 would increase the mandatory retirement age from 75 to 79 and allow them to complete their term regardless of the length of the term.

What it means: Proposition 14 would create a centennial parks conservation fund as a trust fund outside of the state treasury to create and improve state parks. It would be funded by money appropriated by the State Legislature and grants or gifts given to the Parks and Wildlife Department. The fund would be administered by the Parks and Wildlife Department and the enabling legislation (SB 1648) prohibits any money from the fund to be used for the administration of the department.