We mention this background because the 2022 bond proposals are a product of this environment. Published February 11, 2022 at 11:07 AM CST. Section 18.068 of the Texas Election Code says the following: The secretary of state shall quarterly compare the information received under Section 16.001 of this code and Section 62.113, Government Code, to the statewide computerized Created Date: 2/16/2022 1:43:36 PM . Texas. The only way the 2 Republicans on the court have prevented tax rates from increasing has been to deny the court a quorum by not attending meetings. Tobacco, What's on my ballot? Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. The public is to vote on Senator Bettencourt's Constitutional Amendments Proposition 1 and 2 on May 7, 2022. His organization was in charge of drafting the language of the proposals. Dick Lavine, senior fiscal analyst with the left-leaning think tank Every Texan, said school districts would be no worse off if both amendments pass. Archer explained that ballot language for constitutional amendments should try to strike a balance between factual information and readability. It was approved.[1][2]. Other experts have said state leaders need to create a new source of revenue or to reduce spending on public education for Texans to see meaningful property tax reductions. How to vote | Proposition 1 authorized the state legislature to reduce the property tax limit for school maintenance and operations taxes imposed on the homesteads of elderly or disabled residents to reflect any tax rate reduction enacted by law from the preceding tax year. To help break it down, The Texas Newsroom is answering five common questions about the constitutional amendments Proposition 1 and Proposition 2 and what they would actually do. Lavine also added, from Every Texans perspective, this proposal was crafted in an equitable way. In 2007, voters approved Proposition 1, which was a temporary provision that reduced school property tax freeze amounts on homesteads of the elderly or disabled to provide a tax reduction similar to the reduction other taxpayers had received in 2006. But in 2019 the Texas Legislature passed a bill allocating money to buy down school property taxes. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. accused segments; and. In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. However, he told The Texas Newsroom schools wouldnt be better off, either. @media screen and (max-width: 792px) { Control of the court shifted to the Democrats. KERA News. . columns: 2; ", Voters who have a religious objection to being photographed. Texas Standard for Feb. 27, 2023: The Gulf of Mexico is getting warmer. Texas should enact a State Constitutional Amendment to defend the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, from fertilization until natural death. Texas voters will find eight propositions to amend the state constitution on the Nov. 2, 2021 Uniform Election ballot. The Texas Newsroom has been digging into the two proposals, and has broken down each one of them. Since early voting for the General Election starts shortly, were this list provided now, it would be too late to give voters sufficient time to review before they vote. [3], In January 2019, the Texas secretary of states office announced that it would be providing local election officials with a list of registered voters who obtained drivers licenses or IDs with documentation such as work visas or green cards. However, as the legislature convenes regular sessions in odd-numbered years but not even-numbered years, most amendments have been referred to ballots in odd-numbered years. Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Paid for by the Republican Party of Texas and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Its probably worth thinking about it before you go in there [to vote], so you dont spend half a day staring at the election machines.. by Mara Mndez Updated: Nov. 7, 2022. Each is a proposed amendment to the Texas . } As we explained in that rule , allowing hospitals to include patient days for section 1115 demonstration expansion groups in the DPP Medicaid fraction numerator is fully consistent with the Congressional goals of the Medicare DSH payment adjustment to recognize the higher costs to hospitals of treating low-income individuals covered under . On the ballot, Prop 1 and Prop 2 are technically each just one-sentence long but they are far wordier than your average sentence. The ballot language: The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.. There are eight statewide propositions Texans will get to decide at the polls Nov. 2. Early voting for the May 7 election is underway now and runs through Tuesday, May 3. /. Prop 1 would adjust the taxes paid toward public schools by those 65 years old and older and people with disabilities to match the same percentage as everyone else. Proposition 2 would increase that deduction to $40,000 in value. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Government entities should only use bond to finance the cost of large, long-life assets that they do not have the funds to buy outright. The state, he said, would make up for the lost tax revenue. Keren Carrin. Lawmakers and experts agree that Propositions 1 and 2 are confusing. For voters concerned about the impact these propositions might have on school districts, Lavine said schools wont be affected. If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Each is a proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution. Brandon Waltens | February 16, 2022. Sadly, inappropriate use of bond financing is commonplace. } . Contact: Communications and Public Information Office Email. Traditionally, Texas counties distribute bond proceeds equally among the 4 commissioners. The large Harris County Democrat turnout in 2018 General Election for the Beto ORourkes race against Senator Ted Cruz, and the heavy use of the straight-party option, resulted in a significant number of unexpected and unfortunate Democrat victories in down-ballot races. Business regulation In the long run, however, things could get a bit more complicated, said Bernard Weinstein, a retired professor of economics at Southern Methodist University. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. The most successful way to convince voters to support a bond is by maximizing public input and transparency. Early voting for the two propositions began Monday and runs through May 3. [16], Voters who are unable to provide one of the ID options listed above can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and provide one of the following supporting documents:[16], The following voters are exempt from showing photo ID:[16], Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain a Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at any Texas drivers license office during regular business hours. 2021 Texas Standard. Ten major state propositions are on the ballot. Voters have the opportunity to decide on two constitutional amendments that experts say could help slow property tax increases.

Governor Greg Abbott (R) called a special legislative session on August 7, 2021. Since the deadline to refer ballot measures to the 2021 ballot had passed, the measures proposed in this special legislative session were placed on the May 7, 2022, ballot. The group thinks local governments should tighten spending, the state should spend more on education and the state should also increase the number of goods to which sales taxes are applied. Under current law, the taxes you pay towards public schools freeze the year you turn 65 or you become disabled. background-color: black !important; The Texas State Legislature can refer statewide ballot measures, in the form of constitutional amendments, to the ballot in odd-numbered years and even-numbered years. Counties would then be able to require voters on the list to provide proof of citizenship within 30 days. In light of the federal governments refusal to defend the southern border, Texas should immediately deploy the National Guard, Texas Military Forces, and necessary state law enforcement to seal the border, enforce immigration laws, and deport illegal aliens. Two propositions on the May 7 ballot are designed to lower property taxes in Texas, but the language can be hard to understand. voter registration list. But when lawmakers in 2019 passed legislation to offset rising property values with lower school district tax rates for all homeowners, those adjustments did not account for elderly and disabled homeowners whose property taxes were already frozen. The highest turnout for an odd-numbered year election during this period was 26 percent in 1991 when voters decided 13 constitutional amendments.[1]. Constitutional amendments that receive a simple majority vote will be adopted. The opposite is the case with the Democrat controlled Hidalgo court, which: 1) created a County Administrator department which concentrates power in the County Judge position and reduces transparency my moving important discussions and decision-making to behind closed doors; 2) stopped the allocation of budget funds from countywide prioritized needs-based projects to dividing funds equally between the 4 precincts; and 3) implemented a bizarre redistricting (over 1 million residents in Precincts 3 and 4 essentially swapped commissioners and more Democrats were added to Precincts 2, 3 and 4), which clearly was designed to eliminate any chance of a future Republican majority on Harris Countys Commissioners court while trampling on voters rights to elect their own representatives. James Quintero, the director of policy at the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, told The Texas Newsroom that the two amendments could offer some sort of relief. Ballotpedia lists the positions of and excerpts from editorials supporting or opposing ballot measures from the editorial boards of certain media outlets. Proposition 1, for example, is 77-words long, and includes phrases such as successor rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes.. In 2019, Republicans held 19 seats, meaning at least two Democrats were needed to pass a constitutional amendment in the state Senate. But over the long term, no, they did not increase state revenue in order to cover the loss of local school property tax revenue., Bettencourt told The Texas Tribune he believes the state can cover the costs with strong economic growth and revenue from sources such as the states sales tax. Do you value our journalism? Between 1995 and 2019, 167 of 169 (99 percent) statewide ballot measures appeared on odd-numbered year ballots. B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be submitted to the voters at an election to be held May 7, 2022. This change started with the 2018 election; the last election Texas allowed straight-party voting. 5.) Primary elections were held on March 1, with runoffs held on May 24 for primary candidates who did not receive a majority of the vote. Archer explained that ballot language for constitutional amendments should try . Early voting runs April 19-27, and locations can be found on the Travis County Clerk's website. Voters will have the opportunity to vote . Early voting continues for the Texas primaries and 3News has received questions from viewers asking why the 10 Republican primary ballot propositions do not appear. Texas Proposition 2 explained. By increasing the exemption level, the average homeowner is expected to see about $176 in savings per year in the event that the constitutional amendment passes, Quintero said. The Legislative Budget Board estimated that the reduction would result in a $467.5 million reduction to revenue in the first two years of its implementation. Texas parents or legal guardians of public school children under the age of 18 should be the sole decision makers for all their childrens healthcare decisions including, but not limited to, psychological assessment and treatment, contraception, and sex education. Updated: 7:55 PM CDT November 2, 2021. Over the last 4 years, the priorities of Harris Countys Commissioners Court have changed radically. Hopefully that would produce some savings that the average person can use to offset the rising level of cost of living increase, Quintero said. Each party can put propositions . Texas should not restrict or prohibit prayer in public schools. Proposition 2 would increase the homestead exemption Texans can take on their school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000. This election . This means a homeowner with a primary residence valued at $100,000 currently has to pay taxes on only $75,000 ($100,000 minus $25,000). February 16, 2022 | Austin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation setting Saturday, May 7, 2022 as the special election day for two proposed constitutional amendments in Texas. Texas law grants homeowners some tax relief through what are called homestead exemptions, which reduce for qualifying homeowners the amount of a homes value that can be taxed. A general law enacted under this subsection may take into account the difference between the tier one maintenance and The implementing legislation, Senate Bill 12, which extended the 2019 reduction, was also passed during the second special legislative session in 2021.[2]. 1.) That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in the Texas House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Texas Senate, assuming no vacancies. 2022 Updated: 6:39 PM CDT April 27, 2022 . The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure. Show us with your support. Click here to learn more. Following this kind of approach provides the bond proposal with a degree of credibility and public buy-in. State lawmakers have admitted the two proposed amendments Prop 1 and Prop 2 are described on the ballot in a way most will probably find confusing. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrars office, the secretary of states office, libraries, and high schools. 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