Early voting began Monday across Texas with voters deciding the fate of 17 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution, as well as local races for city and school board, bond measures, and tax proposals. The Houston Chronicle reported that many of the propositions intend to lower property taxes for homeowners and businesses. There are two proposed changes to the homestead exemption.
Prop 13 would raise the exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for all homeowners. The amendment’s authors say that it would save homeowners an average of $363 annually. Prop 11 would raise the tax exemption for disabled Texans and those 65 and older from the current $10,000 to $60,000, bringing their total homestead exemption to $200,000.
The additional property tax exemptions would cost the state $4 billion in property tax revenue over the next two years.
Prop 9 would raise the tax exemption for businesses’ personal property from $2,500 to $125,000. Other propositions include small property tax cuts for specific groups, such as surviving spouses of deceased veterans.
Prop 4 would create a $1 billion annual fund for water infrastructure projects, financed by state sales tax revenue. Half of the money, if it passes, would go for new water projects. The other half would go to fix deteriorating infrastructure.
A non-partisan explanation of all 17 propositions provided by the Texas Legislative Council can be found at https://tinyurl. com/mt3yjwfd.
Austin state Rep. Hinojosa running against Abbott
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, has joined the race for governor, the Austin American-Statesman reported. She accused incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, seeking his fourth term, of being beholden to wealthy donors.
“Our fight right now is against the billionaires and the corporations, who are driving up prices, closing our neighborhood schools and cheating Texans out of basic health care. That’s who Greg Abbott works for,” she said in a video announcing her campaign.
Hinojosa has served in the House since 2017 and fought against the school voucher plan passed earlier this year.
Also running thus far in the Democratic primary are Andrew White, a Houston businessman and son of the late Gov. Mark White; Bobby Cole, a rancher and retired firefighter; and Bay City Councilman Benjamin Flores.
Parental rights law leaves families, school nurses confused
A new form required after passage of the state’s new education law has left both parents and school nurses confused, the Texas Standard reported. Senate Bill 12, which was billed as a parental rights law, requires parental permission before a school employee can provide physical or mental health care.
Unclear wording in a few paragraphs is being blamed by some for the confusion. School nurses worry they might unknowingly break the new law, according to Becca Harkleroad, executive director of the Texas School Nurses Organization. “The law was very clear that if you provided any services without written consent, disciplinary action was coming your way,” she said. “So that gave a lot of people pause.” The bill’s authors, state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and former state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, acknowledged the confusion and urged educators “not to suspend common sense when it comes to providing basic care for the children at their schools.”
Leach and Creighton have asked the Texas Education Agency to provide “consistent and clear guidance” to schools on how to implement the law. That guidance was released last month, but Jack Frazee with the Texas Nurses Association said he is awaiting additional details from TEA to provide more clarity.
Forest service awards $164 million to volunteer fire departments
Texas A&M Forest Service has approved $164 million in funding for Texas volunteer fire departments to purchase 558 fire trucks and 321 slipon units through a grant program established in 2001.
The state uses a tiered approach to wildfire response, with local VFDs as the first on the scene, followed by state response if needed.
“Texas fire departments are the front line of local response, and their equipment capacity is vital to response time and effectiveness,” said Al Davis, Texas A&M Forest Service director. “This historic funding reflects the strong support of the Texas Legislature and governor. Their investment allows us to continue supporting and equipping firefighters who protect Texas lives and property.”
Texas continues to rank tops in trade
With 32 official ports of entry and two intermodal logistics facilities to connect different modes of transport, Texas continues to lead the nation in overall value of trade commodities, according to the comptroller’s office.
The state’s trade value fell to $634.6 billion during the 2020 COVID pandemic but has increased by 67.6% since then, to $1.1 trillion.
Port Laredo leads the country in total trade with $339.5 billion of commodities coming through that port of entry. Port Houston ranks first in the nation in exports flowing out of the port at $129.9 billion.
Another dry, hot October for most of Texas
This month is shaping up to be a repeat of last October, with much of the state staying both drier and warmer than average, according to Dr. Mark Wentzel, hydrologist with the Texas Water Development Board. By the end of September, 24% of the state was in drought, up four percentage points from late August.
While a very wet July slowed down the expansion of drought conditions, soil moisture across the state has been much reduced since. With 40% of the state now classified as abnormally dry, the National Weather Service is predicting drought conditions to expand to cover most of Texas. The next few months are expected to be warmer and drier than normal in the state.
Those dry conditions are increasing the chances of wildfires The forest service now classifies Texas at Level 3 in what it calls Wildland Fire Preparedness Levels, with wildfire activity affecting several regions. Level 5 is the highest level.
As of Sunday, there were three active wildfires in Texas, the largest being the 195acre Bronco Creek fire in Wheeler County in the Panhandle. It was 75% contained.
Gary Borders is a veteran awardwinning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress. com.
