Lawmakers have filed several bills for the 88th Texas Legislature, and many of those are aiming to give homeowners some kind of property tax relief.
Monday was the first day bills could be filed for the upcoming session, which starts in January.
One of the bills that was filed that could help homeowners is House Bill 379 filed by Republican Cecil Bell Junior from Magnolia. If approved, the measure would automatically take half of any budget surplus seen at the end of a two-year budget cycle and give it to the Texas Education Agency.
Since the TEA is largely funded by property taxes, homeowners would more than likely see a break on their tax bills if this measure passes.
A second bill filed this week that could help Texas homeowners is House Bill 29 filed by State Rep. Andrew S. Murr, R-Junction. That bill would abolish the “Maintenance and Operations Tax,” which is how school districts typically pay educators. It’s the largest expense for the districts, and makes up about 50% of a Texan’s property tax bill. The measure would replace the M&O tax with an “enrichment fee” to pay teacher salaries. A similar measure was filed by Murr last legislative session. It died in committee.
The 88th Texas Legislature kicks off in January.
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