Texas Senate
Subject: Rollback of Medical Regulation, Senate Bill 773 (SB 773)
- Author: State Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: SB 773 seeks to allow patients with a “severe chronic disease” to access experimental drugs. This is a rollback of medical regulation and we need far more of this in the medical industry as a whole. The less regulation, the more freedom patients have and the more chance for innovation when it comes to experimental drugs. For this reason, TFR Supports SB 773.
Subject: Property Tax Exemption at Expense of Other Taxpayers, Senate Bill 1145 (SB 1145)
- Author: State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: SB 1145 seeks to allow counties and municipalities to provide property tax exemptions for childcare facilities. Although well intended, property tax exemptions ultimately hurt those that do not qualify for such an exemption, shifting the burden. The priority of the legislature should be to provide as much tax relief as possible to Texas taxpayers and SB 1145 will ultimately result in higher taxes for everyone else. For this reason, TFR opposes SB 1145
Subject: Increased Transparency in Corporate Welfare, Senate Bill 1419 (SB 1419)
- Author: State Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: SB 1419 seeks to require increased transparency and public notices for cities that desire to give tax abatements through Chapter 312 of the Tax Code. TFR has opposed the use of corporate welfare in both chapters 312 and 313, but increased transparency and notices only serve to make taxpayers more informed. For this reason, TFR supports SB 1419
Subject: Hotel Occupancy Tax for City of Alice Sports Facility, Senate Bill 1837 (SB 1837) – Local & Uncontested Calendar
- Author: State Sen. Chuy Hinojosa (D-McAllen)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: SB 1837 seeks to authorize the City of Alice to use revenue from the municipal hotel occupancy tax to promote tourism by upgrading an existing sports facility or field. The continued use of HOT to finance projects is antithetical to free enterprise. Cities are overfunded and lack accountability. There is no reason to create new taxes and grow the government to build buildings not crucial to infrastructure. For this reason, TFR opposes SB 1837.
Texas House of Representatives
Subject: Restoring Penalty for Illegal Voting, House Bill 1243 (HB 1243)
- Author: State Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: HB 1243 seeks to restore the penalty for illegally voting to a state jail felony which was lowered from a Class A misdemeanor in the last legislative session. This is an important reform to secure our elections and make it hard to cheat. For this reason, TFR supports HB 1243
Subject: Loosening Regulations on Home Equity Loans, House Joint Resolution 20 (HJR 20)
- Author: State Rep. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: HJR 20 seeks to loosen regulations on home equity loans allowing for closings via virtual meeting. This is a good start in deregulating and helping the market more easily solve problems for homeowners in need of a lifeline. For this reason, TFR Supports HJR 20.
Subject: Expanding Corporate Welfare, House Bill 2231 (HB 2231)
- Author: State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 2231 adds several new events to the list of events that are eligible for funding from the major events reimbursement program. The list includes the Bassmaster Classic and Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, LLC, Federation Equestre Internationale World Cup Final and the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), a Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) World Supercross Championship race and SX Global, and the Professional Bull Riders World Finals and Professional Bull Riders, LLC. HB 1950 also specifies that the Formula One race that is eligible for funding is the U.S. Grand Prix and that any successor of the Formula One Management Limited may qualify for funding as well. Government should not be in the business of stealing from taxpayers to give corporate welfare in the form of reimbursement for major events. This practice is antithetical to free enterprise and TFR opposes all subsidies and corporate welfare.
Subject: Appraisal District Burden of Proof in Certain Trial de Novo Appeals, House Bill 2488 (HB 2488)
- Author: State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: HB 2488 seeks to establish that the appraisal district has the burden of proof in certain trial de novo appeals of property values if the value of the property subject to the appeal was lowered in the preceding year. Although the best appraisal reform is to abolish property taxes altogether, HB 2488 advocates for the taxpayer and seeks to address problems in the appraisal system. For this reason, TFR supports HB 2488.
Subject: Burdensome Regulation, House Bill 3837 (HB 3837)
- Author: State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 3837 seeks to make it so facilities must capture 90%, instead of 50%, of carbon emissions to qualify for a clean energy program. Making it more difficult for natural gas producers only helps with the environmental alarmist anti-oil agenda. Texas is blessed to have an economy that is abundant with energy and we should reject all green energy plans or hurdles that hurt natural gas and oil producers. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 3837
Subject: Ensuring Optimal Choice in Government School System, House Bill 1707 (HB 1707)
- Author: State Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: HB 1707 seeks to ensure that open-enrollment charter schools are treated in the same manner as independent school districts regarding zoning, permitting, code compliance, and other local ordinances. Many urban jurisdictions are leveraging ordinances to increase the costs of open-enrollment charter schools and hindering their mission, to the benefit of independent school districts, even though statute ensures that open-enrollment charter schools are in fact a part of the public school system in the state. TFR supports ensuring that existing choice in the government school system remains optimal. For this reason, TFR supports HB 1707.
Subject: Creation of a Grant Program, House Bill 2209 (HB 2209)
- Author: State Rep. J.M. Lozano (R-Kingsville)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 2209 seeks to create the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program to incentivize and support rural college and career pathway partnerships for underserved students while promoting rural economic development. Further collectivizing the cost of individual choices on the part of Texans who choose to reside in certain areas of the state burdens taxpayers who did not make that same choice. HB 2209 is estimated to have a negative fiscal impact on Texas taxpayers of almost $55.5 million through the biennium and a potentially growing burden every year thereafter. For these reasons, TFR opposes HB 2209.
Subject: Creation of the AAM Advisory Committee, House Bill 2678 (HB 2678)
- Author: State Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 2678 seeks to create the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Advisory Committee which simply injects tax dollars into the development of AAM projects. The private sector is already accomplishing this and there is no reason for tax dollars to be spent further developing technology that is already being developed. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 2678.
Subject: Expanding Services that Qualify Under Medicaid, House Bill 2337 (HB 2337)
- Author: State Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 2337 seeks to add intensive outpatient services and partial hospitalization services among the behavioral health services covered under the state’s Medicaid managed care program. By expanding the list of services that qualify under Medicaid, the burden on Texas taxpayers continues to grow. Instead, we favor a policy that provides a free enterprise solution to Medicaid, not growing taxpayer dependence on government healthcare. Lawmakers should spend their time reducing Medicaid and offering free market solutions by lowering regulation on the medical industry, not expanding socialist programs.
Subject: Creation of a License for Genetic Counselors, House Bill 173 (HB 173)
- Author: State Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 173 seeks to create an occupational license for genetic counselors. There is no reason that in a free enterprise system, the government needs to create occupational licenses for everything. This represents just another burdensome regulation placed by the state on hardworking Texans and ultimately makes it more difficult to work in Texas. For this reason, TFR opposes HB 173.
Subject: Expanding Services that Qualify Under Medicaid, House Bill 134 (HB 134)
- Author: State Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 134 seeks to require Medicaid and the child health plan program to cover the full cost of cranial remolding orthosis for children with certain diagnoses. By expanding the list of services that qualify under Medicaid, the burden on Texas taxpayers continues to grow. Instead, we favor a policy that provides a free enterprise solution to Medicaid, not growing taxpayer dependence on government healthcare. Lawmakers should spend their time reducing Medicaid and offering free market solutions by lowering regulation on the medical industry, not expanding socialist programs.
Subject: Farming Freedom, House Bill 276 (HB 276)
- Author: State Rep. Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: HB 276 seeks to protect the rights of Texans from municipalities and HOAs that would seek to deprive them of their right to produce their own food and tend to certain animals on their property. Especially in an economic downturn, there should be no hindrance for homeowners to feed themselves and their families. Ultimately HB 276 seeks to put an end to the extreme overreach on the part of some cities with overburdensome regulation of such activities. TFR supports HB 276.
Subject: Creation of a Grant Program, House Bill 4885 (HB 4885)
- Author: State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 4885 seeks to update provisions relating to the Texas emissions reduction plan in order to reallocate funds, revise certain programs, and establish the Texas hydrogen infrastructure, vehicle, and equipment grant program so that the transition to cleaner transportation options is accelerated, leading to improved air quality, reduced environmental impact, and better alignment with emissions reduction goals. Texas needs easy reliable energy, not to buy into the environmental alarmist narrative. TFR opposes HB 4885
Subject: Pro-Taxpayer, House Bill 3490 (HB 3490)
- Author: State Rep. Glenn Rogers (R-Graford)
- TFR Position: Support
- Background: HB 3490 seeks to require the governing body of a municipality or a zoning commission to provide written notice to property owners and occupants of each public hearing regarding any proposed adoption of or change to a zoning regulation or boundary that could result in a current conforming use of a property becoming a nonconforming use. HB 3490 would also establish the compensation that the owner or lessee of property with a nonconforming use is entitled to receive if the nonconforming use is required to cease operation due to being a nonconforming use. HB 3490 would increase transparency and accountability in favor of Texas businesses and taxpayers. For these reasons, TFR supports HB 3490.
Subject: Expanding Gambling, House Bill 1759 (HB 1759)
- Author: State Rep. John Bucy III (D-Austin)
- TFR Position: Oppose
- Background: HB 1759 seeks to help charitable foundations recuperate losses from diminished capacity and increase fundraising opportunities by authorizing a sports team charitable foundation to sell raffle tickets remotely through digital interactive media to individuals physically located in Texas. We do not need to expand gambling in Texas, even if it is for a charitable event. TFR opposes HB 1759.
Reminder: Vote Notices are provided to both Texas state lawmakers and the general public in advance of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s position on issues to be rated as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Index prior to votes being taken in each legislative chamber.
Disclaimer: We reserve the right to consider amendments to legislation that may be introduced without notice as a part of issues to be rated as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Index. We will make every effort to provide notice on amendments that are pre-filed.
