There are ten of them, including a couple I will vote against as hard as I can.
House Joint Resolution 4 would let the Texas Water Development dole out dollars from a flood infrastructure fund — created by Senate Bill 7, which would spend $1.7 billion from the rainy day fund — to be used for planning, seeking permits for or constructing flood-related projects. SB 7 is awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
If approved by voters, the flood infrastructure fund would be created at the start of next year.
HJR 34 would let the Legislature temporarily lower tax rates on property damaged during a disaster declared by the governor. House Bill 492 would set the initial tax exemption rates, up to a full exemption, according to the extent of the damage.
HJR 38 would ban the creation of a state income tax, doubling down on a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1993 that requires voters’ permission for the Legislature to create a state income tax.
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HJR 95 creates a tax exemption for precious metals held in the Texas Bullion Depository, which opened in North Austin in June 2018 with its permanent location in Leander expected to open in December.
While that depository made Texas the only state to have a state-operated depository, HJR 95 author Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, said it is at a competitive disadvantage because it is also the only state allowing local property taxes on precious metals.
HJR 72 intends to ease the pressure put on smaller communities to find municipal judges by allowing one person to be elected to multiple cities’ judgeships. Currently a person can only hold multiple municipal judgeships by being appointed to each one.
Senate Joint Resolution 32 would let police dogs and other law enforcement animals retire in their old age to live with their handler or other caretaker. The state constitution currently prevents law enforcement from transferring valuable property to a private person or organization for free.
The other four are HJR12, HJR151, SJR24, and SJR79, all of which are financial in nature. As you know, I’m going to cast an enthusiastic but almost certainly futile vote against HJ38, the double secret illegal anti-income tax proposition. HJR95 also looks ridiculous to me – the whole Texas Bullion Depository thing is ridiculous, so it comes with the territory, while HJR72 and SJR32 seem reasonable. The rest I’ll figure out later. The ballot wording should be set in August. What do you think about these?
I’d go with SJR32, although I imagine the value could be reduced to such a nominal amount as to be a non-issue.
All the others? As with most amendments offered every cycle, always seems there is a special interest that is in line to benefit more than the general public ever will. Thanks for posting this summary for everyone’s benefit.
It is a futile vote but the lack of income tax is why Texas sales taxes and property taxes are so high. Vote NO on this meaningless amendment.
I’ll vote against the double-Dutch-ban on income taxes, but it would help if we had a Texas Democratic Party with the slightest inclination to even suggest that income taxes might be a good thing and more fair than sales or property taxes.
But we don’t. In fact, we have yet to see a tax cut, a tax ban, or a budget restriction that Democrats were willing to campaign on reversing.