GRPR Texas Capitol Report: Election Edition

During the 89th Texas Legislative Session, lawmakers individually passed resolutions proposing 17 separate constitutional amendments, each of which received the support of at least two-thirds of both chambers. These propositions will appear on the ballot in a statewide constitutional amendment election.

Your Ballot Guide

We've outlined the 17 constitutional amendments appearing on the ballot below:

• Proposition 1 (SJR 59) would create an endowment fund for the Texas State Technical College.

• Proposition 2 (SJR 18) would ban the state from taxing individuals and businesses on profits from capital assets.

• Proposition 3 (SJR 5) would mandate that judges deny bail in specific cases regarding individuals accused of committing felonies such as murder and aggravated assault.

• Proposition 4 (HJR 7) asks voters to support a $20 billion budget for water projects over the next two decades to meet the demand for water due to droughts, population growth, and the leaking of water from outdated infrastructure.

• Proposition 5 (HJR 99) - If approved, the tax exemptions would apply to animal feed, whether it's being used immediately or stored as inventory for future sale.

• Proposition 6 (HJR 4) would prohibit the state from creating new taxes on securities transactions and from taxing individuals who work in the securities market.

• Proposition 7 (HJR 133) would authorize state legislatures to provide property tax relief on residential properties for widows and widowers of U.S. veterans whose deaths were federally certified as service-connected, contingent upon the surviving spouse remaining unmarried.

• Proposition 8 (HJR 2) - Although Texas doesn't currently tax inheritances, this measure seeks to prevent future legislators from creating taxes on estates or inherited property transfers.

• Proposition 9 (HJR 1) - Under this amendment and accompanying laws, businesses could exclude up to $125,000 worth of inventory or equipment from property taxes levied by any taxing entity, including school districts, cities, and counties.

• Proposition 10 (SJR 84) - Under this amendment and supporting laws, homeowners whose properties are destroyed by fire could receive temporary property tax relief.

• Proposition 11 (SJR 85) - This amendment would increase the homestead exemption for elderly or disabled Texans from $10,000 to $60,000, reducing the taxable value of their homes for school property taxes.

• Proposition 12 (SJR 27) - If approved, this amendment would strengthen citizen representation on the State Judicial Conduct Commission by restructuring its membership to include six judges or justices appointed by the Texas Supreme Court (with at least two being trial court judges from different court types) and seven citizens age 35 or older appointed by the governor.

• Proposition 13 (SJR 2) - Under this amendment, homeowners would see their school property tax exemption rise from $100,000 to $140,000, meaning a larger portion of their home value would be shielded from taxation for public schools.

• Proposition 14 (SJR 3) - This constitutional amendment would authorize $3 billion in funding to establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, which would focus on investigating dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other neurological pathologies.

• Proposition 15 (SJR 34) - This proposal would enshrine parental rights, as currently defined in federal case law, into the Texas Constitution to protect those rights.

• Proposition 16 (SJR 37) - This amendment would explicitly state in the Texas Constitution that non-U.S. citizens cannot vote in the state. While U.S. citizenship is already required to vote in Texas, this change aims to prevent local governments from allowing non-citizens to vote in municipal elections.

• Proposition 17 (HJR 34) - This proposal and its related legislation would enable the state to exclude border security infrastructure and related improvements from increasing property values in border counties.

To check your voter registration status, visit the Texas Secretary of State's Website.