Texas Legislature’s special session ends without deal on property taxes

This year’s first 30-day special session of the Texas Legislation sputtered to an end Tuesday with the state House and Senate still at an impasse over how to implement property tax cuts.

Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott called for a second special session during which property taxes — one his legislative priorities — will be the sole focus. The Republican governor vetoed nearly 80 bills over the past few days to signal his displeasure that lawmakers weren’t able to come to an agreement.

Most of Abbott’s ire has been directed at the Texas Senate, run by fellow Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, which has stuck to a tax-relief plan that would raise the homestead exemption. Abbott and the House, also under GOP control, favor a plan that would funnel state money to school districts to help reduce tax rates.

In an emailed statement, Abbott signaled that he still wants to stick to his favored plan, which tax wonks refer to as “compression.”

“Unless and until the House and Senate agree on a different proposal to provide property tax cuts, I will continue to call for lasting property tax cuts through rate reductions and working toward eliminating the school property tax in Texas,” the governor said.

Stay tuned. With Abbott’s leverage largely spent thanks to his flurry of vetoes, we’ll see how many sessions he’s willing to call.

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This article appears in Jun 14-27, 2023.