On Tuesday, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 4, a constitutional amendment to increase the residence homestead exemption for school district purposes from $40,000 to $100,000. With 99% of precincts reporting, voters approved of the measure by a margin of 83.4% vs. 16.6%. The passage of Proposition 4 cements the Legislature’s $18 billion tax relief package,...
School bonds are one of the main instruments contributing to Texas’s local government debt, which is currently over half a trillion dollars. Key points: As of 2026, school bond debt in Texas is over $236 billion. In May of 2023, Texas passed 79% of the 245 bond proposals put on the ballot, costing taxpayers $22.9...
Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...