WEEK IN REVIEW

SENATE CLOSES LAST FULL WEEK WITH DEALS ON PROPERTY TAXES, BAIL REFORM

(AUSTIN) — With only a few days left until the 89th Legislature concludes on Monday, the Senate spent its last full week negotiating key pieces of legislation with House representatives. This included each chamber concurring in a deal to deliver billions in property tax cuts to Texas homeowners and businesses. Thursday, the Senate concurred in House amendments to SB 4 and SB 23, two bills that would raise the amount of property value homeowners can write off before assessment. Should voters approve in November, the homestead exemption will rise to $140,000, up from $100,000. There’s even more for senior or disabled homeowners, who could claim up to $200,000 for their homestead exemption. Bill author and Houston Senator Paul Bettencourt told reporters at a press conference that this will save the average homeowner nearly $500 off their annual property tax bill, and nearly $1,000 for homeowners aged 65 or older. Most senior and disabled homeowners will see the M&O portion of school property taxes drop to zero, said Bettencourt, at a time when many are struggling with rising cost of living. “If you crank up the homestead exemptions on over-65 and disabled [homeowners], it lets them stay in their homes when they have the least amount of income in their lifetimes,” he said.

Since 2017, the Senate has voted unanimously several times to increase the homestead exemption. Four sessions later, the exemption has gone up by orders of magnitude, delivering billions in property tax relief to Texans, said Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. This session, between legislation, tax compression, and other budget provisions Patrick said that taxpayers will see $51 billion in property tax cuts. “About one out of every four dollars in this budget are going towards tax relief,” he said.

Business owners will also receive a tax cut through a House measure that would raise the exemption on business personal property to $125,000, which will save the average business $2,500. All three must still be approved as constitutional amendments by voters this November, but past questions on similar measures have passed with overwhelming majorities.

Thursday, the Senate approved final proposals on key bail reform measures, one of Governor Greg Abbott’s top priorities for the session. This includes a deal on SJR 5, which would allow for the denial of bail for defendants accused of the most serious crimes. Similar measures have failed to reach the 100-vote threshold required in the House for proposed constitutional amendments in past sessions, but author and Houston Senator Joan Huffman said that negotiations this year proved fruitful. “This SJR is going to make a major step forward in our fight to keep the most violent offenders off the streets as they await trial,” she told members. The measure would apply to offenders accused of the most serious crimes in the criminal code: murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, and indecency with a child, among others. Under the bill, judges would be required to deny bail if the state can prove that the defendant presents an ongoing risk to public safety or for failure to appear for trial. Should the judge grant bail, he or she would have to explain why. This reverses the original Senate version, which required judges to release a written rationale only if they denied bail. Also, in cases where bail is granted, amounts would have to be sufficient to compel appearance of the defendant at court and ensure public safety.

Huffman acknowledged that this bill only works if judges use the tools given to them. She addressed them directly from the Senate floor. “You have a duty to uphold public safety and protect victims of crime,” she said. “We want the defendant to have due process, but there are people who do not deserve to be on the streets of this state.” Once signed by the governor, it must still be approved by voters in November.

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