Property tax reform is a step closer to passing, after the Texas Senate’s Property Tax Committee voted Monday to send an amended version of SB 2 to the floor.
The final vote was four ayes to one present, not voting. The present vote came from the committee’s lone Democrat, Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, who was concerned about how capping property tax growth might affect school finance.
“We’ve yet to identify a source of revenue to make up for funding for public schools,” Hinojosa said. “Where’s the money coming from?”
Houston Republican Sen. Paul Bettencourt chairs the committee and is SB 2’s lead author. “We are going to tackle school finance reform,” Bettencourt said. “You cannot have the strongest measurable property tax relief without recognizing the 800 lb. gorilla in the room, which is what the folks recognize at home as Robin Hood.”
Governor Greg Abbott named both property tax reform and school finance reform as emergency items for the session.