Texas Legislature ended Memorial Day:
140 is now over!
Quick hits:
The 86th Texas Legislature (regular session) ended May 27.
As of 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, Texas REALTORS® followed 2,784 of 7,804 bills and resolutions filed.
NAR Hill Visit: Hundreds of Texas REALTORS® advocate for real estate consumers
Follow Texas REALTORS® Government Affairs team on Twitter: @TAR_GA
Texas REALTORS® Legislative Priorities book: texasrealestate.com/issues
The end of the 86th Legislative Session is here!
May 27 was the last day of the 86th legislative session (specifically, it’s the last day of the regular session—the governor could always call them back for a special session to address emergency items or specific issues he dictates).
Many House and Senate members were appointed to conference committees to resolve the chambers’ differences between their versions of bills as they near the end, which means most of our legislators all worked throughout Memorial Day weekend!
The governor has until Sunday, June 16 to either sign or veto bills passed in the regular session.
Bill stats 2019 vs. 2017
The Legislative Reference Library of Texas compiled a few bill statistics comparing activity in this session to last session. Last session, more bills were sent to the governor to be signed into law, but fewer were signed compared to the current session.
School finance reform plan PASSES! House Bill 3:
This REALTOR®-supported legislation is a comprehensive reform of the state’s public school finance system and property tax system. A few highlights from this version:
Lowers school property tax rates statewide
Increases the state’s share of education funding from 38% to 45%
Reduces recapture by 47% ($3.6 billion) this biennium
Raises the basic allotment $890 per student (from $5,140 to $6,030), benefiting all school districts
… and maintains the enhanced transparency measures and automatic rollback elections REALTORS® support.
The legislation’s website, TheTexasPlan.com, has more details—also outlined in a one-pager on the website.
Property tax reform PASSES! Senate Bill 2:
This version of the bill passed reserves REALTOR®-supported measures related to transparency for property owners and proactive information for taxpayers.
The changes in SB2 largely focus on rollback rates:
Most cities and counties will have automatic elections if they exceed the rollback rate
Special taxing units remain at the current 8% rollback rate, including: Cities/counties with population < 30,000, junior colleges, hospital districts
Renames the rollback rate the "voter-approval tax rate"
Annexation Bill: Signed by Governor
Governor Greg Abbott signed REALTOR®-supported House Bill 347 (Chairman Phil King) into law, effective immediately.
This legislation ends forced municipal annexation statewide, giving property owners a vote when a municipality seeks to annex their property.
Texas REALTORS® have engaged in campaigns in seven counties to end forced annexation at the county level over the past year. Visit StopForcedAnnexation.com to learn more.
*The bill statuses are up-to-date as of 6 a.m., Saturday, May 25. You can also track specific bill via the Texas Legislature Online website.
*There are many other REALTOR® legislative priorities that have passed and are waiting for the Governor’s signature, including tax incentives, eminent domain reform, and disaster relief.
NAR Hill Visits:
What Collin County and Texas REALTORS® do in Washington, D.C?
Hundreds of Texas REALTORS® were in Washington, D.C., May 14-18 to advocate for real estate consumers during the 2019 REALTOR® Legislative Meetings.
Texas REALTORS® met with all 36 members of the Texas Congressional delegation and heard from U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, discussing federal issues important to property owners.
Check out more highlights from the week, including the Texas REALTORS® and local associations that were honored during the REALTOR® Political Action Committee Awards Ceremony.