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The First Called Special Session was called by Governor Abbott Monday night, May 29th at 9 PM. Currently, the two items on the call are:

  1. PROPERTY TAXES: Legislation to cut property-tax rates solely by reducing the school district maximum compressed tax rate in order to provide lasting property-tax relief for Texas taxpayers.
  2. BORDER SECURITY: Legislation solely for the purpose of increasing or enhancing the penalties for certain criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house.

Of note, the Governor can expand the items on the call at any time during the special session, or can set an item on the call for subsequent special sessions.

On May 30th the House gaveled in, passed bills addressing the Governor’s call, and then adjourned sine die that evening. The House bill and resolution provided property tax relief only using compression as directed in the Governor’s call. The Senate instead has passed a property tax relief bill and resolution that uses compression and homestead exemptions to provide property tax relief. At the time of publication, neither measure has passed both chambers. Additionally, the House passed an immigration relating to the Governor’s call which the Senate has passed as amended and substituted. The Senate also passed additional border security bills as noted below.

The Senate continues to meet and has recessed until Thursday at 10 AM.

Property Taxes

House Response

  • HB 1 (Meyer et al.) Relating to a reduction in the maximum compressed tax rate of a school district and additional state aid for certain school districts impacted by compression. Passed out of the House on 5/30.
  • HJR 1 (Meyer et al.) Proposing a constitutional amendment excepting certain appropriations to pay for school district ad valorem tax relief from the constitutional limitation on the rate of growth of appropriations. Passed out of the House on 5/30.

Senate Response

  • SB 1 (Bettencourt) Relating to a reduction in the maximum compressed tax rate of a school district and additional state aid for certain school districts impacted by compression, an increase in the amount of certain exemptions from ad valorem taxation by a school district applicable to residence homesteads, an adjustment in the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in the exemption amounts, and the protection of school districts against the resulting loss in local revenue. The bill passed out of the Senate on 5/30.
  • SJR 1 (Bettencourt) Proposing a constitutional amendment to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district applicable to residence homesteads, to adjust the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in certain exemption amounts, and to except certain appropriations to pay for school district ad valorem tax relief from the constitutional limitation on the rate of growth of appropriations. The bill passed out of the Senate on 5/30.

Border Security

House and Senate Response

  • HB 2 (Guillen et al.) Relating to the punishment for certain criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house; increasing criminal penalties. Passed out of the House on 5/30 and was passed as substituted and amended in the Senate on 6/7.

Additional Senate Response

  • SB 2 (Birdwell) Relating to the creation of the criminal offense of improper entry from a foreign nation. The bill passed out of the Senate on 5/30.
  • SB 8 (Birdwell) Relating to measures to address public safety threats in this state presented by transnational criminal activity, including by establishing a Texas Border Force and making funds available to certain governmental entities. The bill passed out of the Senate on 5/30.
  • SB 5 (Flores) Relating to the punishment for certain criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house; increasing criminal penalties and voted out of Senate Committee 6/6.

Other

  • HCR 3 (Geren) Providing for adjournment sine die of the 88th Legislature, 1st Called Session – passed when the House adjourned Sine Die on 5/30.
  • SR 6 (Whitmire) Amending the Permanent Rules of the Senate of the 88th Legislature – passed by the Senate 6/07 to allow a staff member to remain on staff.

The Senate Committee on State Affairs also met this week on 6/12 and voted the following three bills out of committee (currently not on the Governor’s call):

  • SB 9 (King) Relating to the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
  • SB 17 (Parker) Relating to the right of a public school employee to engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty.
  • SB 19 (Middleton) Relating to a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text in public schools.

 

Filed Bills

The following bills were filed, but have not been referred as of yesterday. TLO maintains an updated list of all filed House and Senate bills.

Property Taxes

  • HB 5 (Cain) Relating to reducing school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue.
  • HB 15 (Harrison) Relating to the vote required in an election to approve an ad valorem tax rate that exceeds a taxing unit’s voter-approval tax rate; making conforming changes.
  • HB 16 (Harrison) Relating to the abolition of ad valorem taxes and the creation of a joint interim committee on the abolition of those taxes.
  • HB 17 (Harrison) Relating to the calculation of certain ad valorem tax rates of a taxing unit and the manner in which a proposed ad valorem tax rate that exceeds the voter-approval tax rate is approved; making conforming changes.
  • HB 24 (Bucy) Relating to a temporary exemption for a residence homestead rendered uninhabitable.
  • HB 25 (Bucy) Relating to the postponement of the delinquency date for a payment of ad valorem taxes imposed by a taxing unit if the office of the collector for the taxing unit is closed on the delinquency date.
  • HB 27 (Tepper) Relating to the limitation on increases in the appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem taxation.
  • HB 28 (Tepper) Relating to a limitation on increases in the appraised value of commercial real property and single-family rental property for ad valorem tax purposes.
  • HB 30 (Zwiener) Relating to the authority of a county commissioners court to adopt an exemption from ad valorem taxation by each taxing unit that taxes the property of the portion of the appraised value of a person’s property that is attributable to the installation in or on the property of certain water conservation systems.
  • HJR 2 (Harrison) Proposing a constitutional amendment to abolish ad valorem taxes.
  • HJR 4 (Tepper) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to set a lower limit on the maximum appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem taxation.
  • HJR 5 (Tepper) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to limit the maximum appraised value of commercial property and rental property for ad valorem taxation.
  • HJR 6 (Zwiener) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the commissioners court of a county to exempt from ad valorem taxation by each political subdivision that taxes the property the portion of the assessed value of a person’s property that is attributable to the installation in or on the property of a rainwater harvesting or graywater system.
  • HJR 7 (Vasut) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to limit the maximum appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes to 105 percent or more of the appraised value of the property for the preceding tax year.

Border Security

  • HB 3 (Cook) Relating to the punishment for certain criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house; increasing criminal penalties.
  • HB 4 (Cook) Relating to the punishment for the criminal offense of operation of a stash house; increasing a criminal penalty.
  • HB 6 (Cook) Relating to the punishment for the offense of trafficking of persons.
  • HB 14 (Harrison) Relating to the authority to suspend entry into this state of certain persons.
  • HB 18 (Toth) Relating to the employment and licensing of border security officers employed by the Department of Public Safety.
  • HB 34 (Vasut) Relating to the elimination of ad valorem taxes and the creation of a joint interim committee on the elimination of those taxes.
  • HB 35 (Vasut) Relating to a limitation on increases in the appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes.
  • HB 36 (Troxclair) Relating to reducing school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue.
  • SB 3 (Parker) Relating to the punishment for the criminal offense of operation of a stash house; increasing a criminal penalty.
  • SB 4 (Parker) Relating to the punishment for the offense of trafficking of persons.
  • SB 16 (Creighton) Relating to the exercise of eminent domain authority by the Texas Facilities Commission to build a wall along this state’s international border.
  • SCR 1 (Creighton) Declaring an invasion of the State of Texas by transnational cartel terrorists; urging the Governor to accelerate construction of a wall along the southern border; urging the U.S. Congress to deploy military forces.

Education

  • HB 31 (Bell, Keith) Relating to virtual and off-campus electronic instruction at a public school and the allotment for certain special-purpose school districts under the Foundation School Program.
  • HB 33 (Toth) Relating to reducing school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes through the use of certain surplus state revenue.
  • SCR 2 (LaMantia) Requesting that the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives create a joint interim committee to study issuance of credit against required recapture payments for Gulf Coast county school districts with excess facilities costs.

Firearms

  • HB 7 (Reynolds) Relating to prohibiting the transfer of semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients; increasing a criminal penalty.
  • HB 8 (Reynolds) Relating to the creation of certain criminal offenses concerning firearm sales at gun shows.
  • HB 29 (Thierry) Relating to prohibiting the transfer of semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients; increasing a criminal penalty.
  • SB 6 (Gutierrez) Relating to prohibiting the transfer of certain semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty.
  • SB 7 (Gutierrez) Relating to regulating certain firearm transfers, possession of certain firearms, and protective orders prohibiting possession of a firearm; creating criminal offenses; increasing criminal penalties.

Healthcare

  • HB 10 (Reynolds) Relating to a “Texas Way” to reforming and addressing issues related to the Medicaid program, including the creation of an alternative program designed to ensure health benefit plan coverage to certain low-income individuals through the private marketplace.
  • HB 19 (Bucy) Relating to the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid to certain individuals under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  • HB 23 (Bucy) Relating to implementation of an express lane option for determining eligibility and enrolling certain individuals in Medicaid or the child health plan program.
  • HJR 3 (Bucy) Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the state to expand eligibility for Medicaid to certain persons under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Other

  • HB 9 (Reynolds) Relating to extreme risk protective orders; creating criminal offenses.
  • HB 11 (Reynolds) Relating to the creation of the Climate Change Impact Assessment Council.
  • HB 12 (Reynolds) Relating to a study conducted by the Commission on Jail Standards on the living conditions and safety of persons confined in the Harris County jail.
  • HB 13 (Reynolds) Relating to the establishment of the Texas Environmental Justice Advisory Council.
  • HB 20 (Harrison) Relating to informed consent before provision of certain medical treatments and exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
  • HB 21 (Bucy) Relating to a cost-of-living adjustment applicable to certain benefits paid by the Employees Retirement System of Texas and a biennial study on providing additional adjustments based on the effects of increased inflation.
  • HB 22 (Bucy) Relating to electronic voter registration.
  • HB 26 (Bucy) Relating to improvements to the Texas Information and Referral Network.
  • HB 32 (Schofield) Relating to the separation of federal elections from state and local elections, and to related practices and procedures.
  • HB 37 (Troxclair) Relating to the prohibited use of public money to pay the costs of providing public benefits to certain persons.
  • HCR 2 (Gonzalez) Directing the Texas Facilities Commission to name the building being constructed in Phase Two of the Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan at the northwest corner of Congress Avenue and 15th Street the Irma Rangel Building.
  • SB 18 (Middleton) Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying and certain other activities.