Abbott calls special session for tax and border matters.
Texas Governor Calls Urgent Special Session to Address Key Bills
Lawmakers in Texas ended their regular legislative session without passing several key bills that state leaders had prioritized. In response, Governor Greg Abbott called an urgent special session to address these issues.
The special session began at 9 p.m. on Monday and focused on border security and property tax relief. Governor Abbott stated that there are still “many critical items that must be passed” and that this will necessitate several other special sessions.
Lowering Property Taxes a Priority
Republican legislators had prioritized lowering property taxes for Texas homeowners and business owners with a significant portion of the state’s budget surplus. However, they were unable to come to an agreement.
“We must cut property taxes,” Abbott said in a statement. “During the regular session, we added $17.6 billion to cut property taxes. However, the legislature could not agree on how to allocate funds to accomplish this goal. Texans want and need a path towards eliminating property taxes. The best way to do that is to direct property tax reduction dollars to cut school property tax rates.”
“The goal of the first special session will be to reduce property tax rates solely by reducing the school district maximum compressed tax rate in order to provide lasting property-tax relief.”
The Texas governor is requesting that the $12.3 billion set aside for additional tax cuts be transferred to school districts so that they can reduce their tax rate. Under such a strategy, both homeowners and company owners would pay a much lower tax rate.
Other Topics on the Agenda
The agenda will also include “increasing or enhancing” the punishment for offenses involving operating a stash house or smuggling individuals.
A special legislative session can only be called by the governor.
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