The 89th session of the Texas Legislature begins Tuesday and as part of passing a budget, lawmakers will consider what to do with the projected $20 billion surplus. There could be political fireworks on the first day of the session in the House when legislators will elect a Speaker in the ongoing battle between two Republicans that has now become a statewide campaign. (Original air date: January 12, 2025.)
More property tax relief considered
On Monday, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar will release the Biennial Revenue Estimate to the legislature. That estimate will reveal how much lawmakers can spend on the fiscal year 2026-27 state budget. Hegar will also confirm the state’s surplus, which is projected at $20 billion, and how much will be in the economic stabilization fund also known as the “rainy day” fund. Eye on Politics reporter Jack Fink spoke with five state lawmakers from across North Texas to see what they think the state should do with the expected surplus and if that includes more relief for Texas homeowners. During the 2023 session lawmakers passed, and voters approved, $18 billion worth of reductions from the school portion of the property tax bill.
State Representative Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, told Jack the state should look at making increased investments in public schools and infrastructure in addition to considering additional property tax reductions.
“We want to make sure the property tax needs to be fixed in a meaningful way,” said Bhojano. “I feel like it’s really expensive. I knocked on so many thousands of doors in the district. I heard repeatedly that property taxes are sometimes getting to the point of people not owning a house anymore and those who are renting have such high rates. We need to do meaningful reductions in property taxes while funding the schools because right now with increasing property taxes, our schools are not funded.”
State Senator Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas told Jack that while lawmakers should consider both additional property tax relief, they need to focus on making critical investments in infrastructure, including water. “It’s nice to have tax breaks. We gave an important property tax reduction last session,” said Johnson. “There’s a conversation of doing it again. While I’m all for reducing taxes where we can, I think right now, we need to keep our eye on what lies down the road.”
When asked for an example Johnson said, “Water is an issue. We’re all aware of strains on the grid because we had a grid failure. We all turn the tap and water comes out, so people are lulled into perceiving we don’t have an issue with water, but we really do. It takes 30 years to plan and build a reservoir and we’re running out of places to build reservoirs.”
State Representative Jeff Leach, R-Allen, told Jack he believes lawmakers should give homeowners as much of a break as possible while still funding state priorities. Leach told Jack, “That is not our money. That is the money of the people of Texas. In terms of property tax relief, providing school choice, we need to continue to make sure we do that. Last session, we passed the biggest property tax in the history of the state. This session, we need to do more because taxes are going back up. Living in Texas and raising a family in Texas should be affordable.”
Newly elected State Representative Shelley Luther, R-Grayson County said she’s committed to property tax relief. She told Jack, “Our property taxes are crazy high in Texas and people are getting taxed out of their homes. You don’t own your home in Texas ever. You could pay it off, but if you don’t pay your taxes, you don’t have a home. We have got to give them some property tax relief immediately and that’s first and foremost.”
State Representative Ana Maria Rodriguez Ramos, D-Dallas told Jack that lawmakers need to help working families in Texas as they tried to do during the 2023 session. “We worked with for example Representative John Bryant, D-Dallas, who had a really robust plan last cycle for property tax relief. Not only would it go to actual property owners, people who live in Texas, your homestead exemption, working families who live and own property in Texas, but also renters. Rent relief,” said Ramos. “So not only big corporations. The bill eventually landed the big corporations, the people who don’t live in Texas who own Texas property benefitted from the property tax relief. What we wanted to see is the renters also benefiting from that relief.”
Battle for Texas Speaker
While state leaders focused on the winter storm that hit Texas last week, a political storm has been brewing at the Capitol over who should win the Speaker’s gavel in the House. The ongoing fight is between Republican State Representatives David Cook of Mansfield and Dustin Burrows of Lubbock over who will become Speaker of the Texas House.
This year, the race is shaping up to be like none other, at least in the recent past, because no one knows who will become Speaker on Tuesday. That’s when all 150 House members will vote. To win, a Speaker needs 76, a simple majority. Republicans, who are in the majority, remain divided even after the House GOP Caucus nominated Cook, which the rules say is binding. So, there could be political fireworks on the House floor, all the while family members of the lawmakers are sitting there after watching their loved ones being sworn in.
One of the state’s most high-profile Republicans in Austin, Attorney General Ken Paxton, became involved in what’s developed into a statewide race. Paxton, along with Texas GOP Chair Abraham George, took part in a tour across the state to urge Republican lawmakers to vote for Cook. He began his tour last Monday at the Tarrant County GOP headquarters in Fort Worth, where there was a standing-room-only crowd. Paxton told reporters, grassroots Republicans want conservatives leading the House and don’t want what he called moderate Republicans joining Democrats to select a Speaker.
“If the Speakership is controlled by a block of Democratic votes, which it has been since Joe Straus, it prevents Republicans who are elected to get certain things done, from getting their priorities done,” said Paxton. “And that’s been happening for the past 16 years, and I think this is the first time we’ve really had the chance to expose that.”
Paxton also issued a warning for House Republicans if they back Representative Burrows for Speaker instead of Representative Cook, “If they don’t listen, we are going to come back and primary them next session and beat them.” Texas GOP Chair Abraham George echoed the warning stating, “It is something we may end up having to do if that’s what it takes to get our House in order.”
One Republican Representative, Cody Harris, filed a complaint against the Texas GOP Chair saying George was threatening House Republicans by saying that if they don’t back Cook for Speaker, they will face primary challenges. Harris cited an interview George did with Jack on a couple of weeks ago.
Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick are supporting Representative Cook because he won the backing of the House GOP Caucus. The current Speaker, Dade Phelan, backed out of the race last month and is supporting Representative Burrows who is on his leadership team.
Jack spoke with Representative Jeff Leach, R-Allen, who is backing Burrows. “I’ve known Dustin Burrows for a long time,” Leach told Jack. “I’ve been desk mates with Dustin the past three sessions and Representative Burrows is a rock-solid conservative. He’s actually the conservative choice in this race. The question is very clear for all of us, who is best prepared who is best equipped to faithfully lead the House over the next 140 days of the 89th Legislature session. There’s no question to me that Chairman Burrows is going to win and do a great job as Speaker.”
When asked about the Attorney General’s campaign for Cook, Leach said, “I wish the Attorney General would focus on his actual job than get involved in these House political squabbles. I’ve heard what the Attorney General has said on his tour of terror, if you will, across the state and he’s talking a lot about himself.”
Jack also spoke with Representative-elect Shelley Luther who is backing Cook for Speaker. “We came out with the contract of Texas, some of us new people and some of the incumbents came out with the contract of Texas, which is more about reforming the Texas House, so it’s more fair, it runs more smoothly, people have bills that they can make sure they get heard. We make sure the Speaker doesn’t have too much power because sometimes that’s been an issue as well,” said Luther. “So, when David Cook came out and said that he was for reform, and he wanted to transform the House into something that is a working House, then we all got behind him.”
When asked about the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General’s involvement Luther said, “I know that they’re outside of the House, but it is in their party and it’s an embarrassment honestly that Republicans can’t come together and make a decision. In the past, you just go with the caucus nominee, and you go forward with that and right now, someone is saying no, that’s not happening, I’m going to go off and do someone else is creating dissension.”
State Representative Ana Maria Rodriguez Ramos is the only Democrat running for Speaker. She is unlikely to win because Democrats are in the minority. She explained to Jack why she is running anyway. “In 20 years, we haven’t had a Democratic nominee for Speaker of the House, and I didn’t understand my first couple of sessions why that is the case. It dawned on me that we have become the party of submission and not opposition. So, a good friend of mine, Representative John Bryant, said if we don’t fight every battle, we’ll never win the war. So, the first battle we need to fight is on swearing in day.”
Watch Jack’s full interview with Representative Jeff Leach:
Watch Jack’s full interview with Representative Shelley Luther:
Watch Jack’s full interview with Representative Ana Maria Rodriguez Ramos:
Watch Jack’s full interview with Representative Salman Bhojani:
Watch Jack’s full interview with Senator Nathan Johnson:
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