Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has issued the following vote notice for April 2nd, 2025 

Texas House of Representatives

Subject:  House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR 1) – Tax cut for small businesses

• Author: State Rep. Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas)
• Caption: Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation a portion of the market value of tangible personal property a person owns that is held or used for the production of income.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HJR 1 offers tax relief to small business owners and entrepreneurs by allowing a $250,000 exemption on income-generating tangible personal property. This constitutional amendment simplifies compliance, reduces bureaucratic costs, and incentivizes productivity. It cuts down on burdensome taxation that can stifle economic growth, especially for small operations. This is a pro-growth, pro-business reform that respects taxpayers and limits government overreach.

Subject:  House Joint Resolution 2 (HJR 2) – Ban on Death Taxes

• Author: State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth)
• Caption: Proposing a constitutional amendment prohibiting the legislature from imposing death taxes applicable to a decedent’s property or the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HJR 2 proposes a constitutional amendment to permanently ban estate, inheritance, and gift taxes in Texas. This measure prevents future legislatures from taxing wealth transfers after death, protecting families, small businesses, and farmers from unexpected tax burdens. It safeguards private property rights and encourages investment and savings. Locking this policy into the constitution helps provide long-term financial certainty for taxpayers.

Subject:  House Bill 9 (HB 9) – Tax cut for small businesses

• Author: State Rep. Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas)
• Caption: Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of tangible personal property a person owns that is held or used for the production of income.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 9 is the enabling legislation for HJR 1. It offers tax relief to small business owners and entrepreneurs by raising the exemption on income-producing personal property from $2,500 to $250,000. This bill simplifies compliance, reduces bureaucratic costs, and incentivizes productivity. It cuts down on burdensome taxation that can stifle economic growth, especially for small operations. This is a pro-growth, pro-business reform that respects taxpayers and limits government overreach.

Subject:  House Bill 22 (HB 22) – Ends intangible property taxation

• Author: State Rep. Candy Noble (R-Lucas)
• Caption: Relating to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of intangible personal property.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 22 eliminates all taxation on intangible personal property in Texas, closing loopholes that still allow taxes on assets like patents, copyrights, and goodwill. This reform simplifies the tax code, creates certainty for businesses, removes barriers to investment and innovation, and strengthens the state’s pro-business position. For these reasons, TFR supports HB 22.

Subject:  House Bill 1392 (HB 1392) – Property tax payment delays

• Author: State Rep. John Bucy (D-Austin)
• Caption: Relating to the postponement of the delinquency date for a payment of ad valorem taxes imposed by a taxing unit if the office of the collector for the taxing unit is closed on the delinquency date.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 1392 ensures that property taxpayers are not penalized with delinquency fees when a tax office is unexpectedly closed on the due date. By allowing payments to be made the next business day without penalty, the bill adds clarity and fairness to the tax process. This protects taxpayers from government inefficiencies and promotes responsible governance by acknowledging real-world disruptions. It also reduces the administrative burden of disputing penalties caused by uncontrollable closures. 

Texas Senate

Subject: Senate Concurrent Resolution 39 (SCR 39) – Border security cost refund

• Author: State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe)
• Caption: Urging the federal government to take immediate action in addressing issues related to security at the border.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • SCR 39 is a resolution by the Texas Legislature declaring that recent federal border policies have failed and demanding action to secure the Southern Border. It highlights that Texas has spent $11 billion of state funds to protect its citizens due to federal inaction. The resolution calls for reimbursement and increased federal support while reaffirming Texas’ partnership with the new administration. The resolution defends state taxpayers from bearing costs that should be federally managed.

Subject:  Senate Bill 29 (SB 29) – Corporate governance reform

• Author: State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola)
• Caption: Relating to business entities.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • SB 29 updates Texas business laws to make the state more competitive for companies looking to incorporate, especially compared to places like Delaware and Nevada. The bill gives more legal protection to business leaders by making it harder to sue them unless there’s clear evidence of serious wrongdoing, like fraud or breaking the law on purpose. It also lets companies require that internal disputes be handled in Texas courts and without a jury, which helps avoid expensive and drawn-out lawsuits. These changes give companies more stability and predictability, which makes Texas a better place to do business. This bill limits unnecessary legal costs, encourages investment, supports job creation, and helps keep businesses here in Texas.

Subject:  Senate Bill 241 (SB 241) – Enforcing public camping ban

• Author: State Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton)
• Caption: Relating to prohibitions on camping in a public place.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • SB 241 strengthens Texas’ existing ban on public camping by making sure cities and counties actually enforce it. It requires local governments to investigate complaints about public camping and act within 90 days. If they don’t, the Attorney General can label them as non-compliant and have the state withhold part of their sales tax revenue to recoup enforcement costs. The bill holds localities financially accountable, prevents misuse of taxpayer resources, and discourages policies that enable public disorder. For these reasons, TFR supports SB 241.

Subject:  Senate Bill 464 (SB 464) – Tobacco and Vape Restrictions

• Author: State Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels)
• Caption: Relating to the operation near a public or private primary or secondary school of a retail establishment selling cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping apparatuses, or tobacco products; creating a criminal offense.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • SB 464 creates a new law that makes it a criminal offense for stores to sell cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vape products within 1,000 feet of schools. The goal is to reduce student exposure to vaping by limiting the proximity of these products to campuses. While well-intentioned, this bill represents overreach by the state into private business operations, criminalizes a legal activity based solely on location, and creates new burdens for small businesses—particularly convenience stores and smoke shops—without addressing more important issues like enforcement or youth behavior. The bill could lead to lost revenue, unnecessary regulatory complexity, and increased legal liabilities for small businesses.

Subject:  Senate Bill 568 (SB 568) – Massive special ed spending expansion

• Author: State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston)
• Caption: Relating to special education in public schools, including funding for special education under the Foundation School Program.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • SB 568 revamps how the state funds special education, shifting from funding based on where a student is placed to a model based on the intensity of services provided. It creates new funding categories, increases grants for parent and district use, and boosts financial incentives for schools serving students with special needs. While the bill aims to improve outcomes, it comes at a steep cost—adding nearly $700 million to state spending over the next two years alone, with no defined cap on future increases. It also grows government by expanding TEA’s authority and mandates new administrative tasks for schools. Unfortunately, this bill bloats bureaucracy, locks the state into future spending commitments, and burdens taxpayers without sufficient accountability measures to ensure improved student performance. The shift toward more centralized state oversight and additional grant programs may reduce local flexibility and lead to inefficiencies, and could hamper private-sector solutions.
  • SB 568 represents a major expansion of government into local school operations, centralizes authority in state agencies, and creates open-ended financial obligations for taxpayers. Rather than targeting waste or inefficiency, it layers new programs and bureaucracies onto an already strained system, with no clear accountability for improved student outcomes. While its intentions may be good, its execution dramatically increases the size, cost, and complexity of state government—at taxpayers’ expense.

Subject:  Senate Bill 731 (SB 731) – Mandated senior housing water upgrades

• Author: State Sen. Borris Miles (D-Houston)
• Caption: Relating to required water pressure boosters for certain housing developments that receive an allocation of low income housing tax credits.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • SB 731 requires that senior housing buildings of four or more stories, which receive low-income housing tax credits, install emergency water pressure booster systems. While the intent is to protect vulnerable seniors, the bill mandates costly infrastructure upgrades for both new and existing properties. This introduces new regulatory and cost burdens on housing developers and could increase taxpayer-funded housing costs. It expands state control and costs through mandates and enforcement responsibilities for TDHCA, potentially diverting funds from more critical services. Market-driven solutions and localized assessments are better alternatives than blanket mandates. For these reasons, TFR opposes SB 731.

Subject:  Senate Bill 732 (SB 732) – Mandated generators for senior housing

• Author: State Sen. Borris Miles (D-Houston)
• Caption: Relating to required generators or other power sources for certain housing developments that receive an allocation of low income housing tax credits.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • SB 732 requires senior housing developments that receive low-income housing tax credits to install backup power sources for during power outages. The goal is to protect elderly residents who could be trapped or suffer health issues during emergencies. The law applies to new developments starting in 2026 and gives existing ones until 2030 to comply. While well intentioned, this bill imposes new government mandates on private or semi-private housing, increasing costs for developers and taxpayers. These compliance costs could deter future investment in affordable senior housing or lead to higher rents. It also expands bureaucratic oversight and rulemaking authority, growing state involvement in the housing sector. Market-driven solutions and localized assessments are better alternatives than blanket mandates. For these reasons, TFR opposes SB 732.

Subject:  Senate Bill 921 (SB 921) – Verified Medicaid renewal data

• Author: State Sen. Kevin Sparks (R-Midland)
• Caption: Relating to conducting an ex parte renewal of a recipient’s Medicaid eligibility.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • SB 921 ensures that Texas only uses verified data when automatically renewing Medicaid benefits. During the pandemic, looser federal rules allowed the state to rely on unverified information, like what people wrote on their food stamp applications, which led to billions in improper Medicaid payments. This bill closes that loophole by requiring that renewals be based on trusted, electronic data—helping reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. By strengthening oversight, this bill protects taxpayer dollars and makes sure Medicaid serves only those who truly qualify.

Subject:  Senate Bill 996 (SB 996) – One-day fireworks sale extension

• Author: State Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville)
• Caption: Relating to fireworks sales to the public by retail fireworks permit holders on certain dates.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • SB 996 is a temporary change to Texas law that lets fireworks retailers sell for one extra day—July 5, 2026—so Texans can celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence all weekend. Normally, fireworks sales stop at the end of July 4, but since that date falls on a Saturday in 2026, the bill ensures families and communities have all weekend to enjoy their celebrations. It’s a one-time exception that doesn’t affect future years. 

Subject:  Senate Bill 1035 (SB 1035) – Defends agricultural property rights

• Author: State Sen. Kevin Sparks (R-Midland)
• Caption: Relating to equitable relief from the enforcement of certain governmental requirements that affect agricultural operations.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • SB 1035 gives Texas farmers and ranchers the ability to challenge local regulations that interfere with their agricultural operations. If a city or county enforces a rule that contradicts state agricultural protections, landowners can take them to court and stop the rule from being enforced. If they win, they can recover legal fees. This bill protects private property rights, reins in local government overreach, and supports the agricultural economy without new spending. It helps reduce burdensome red tape on rural Texans and reinforces constitutional protections. The bill promotes limited government, defends freedom to work one’s land, and discourages costly litigation by incentivizing local governments to follow state law.

Subject:  Senate Bill 1036 (SB 1036) – New Regulations on Solar Sales

• Author: State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo)
• Caption: Relating to the regulation of residential solar retail transactions; requiring an occupational registration; authorizing fees; providing civil and administrative penalties.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • SB 1036 proposes new regulations on residential solar panel sales in Texas. It requires all salesmen and companies that sell or lease solar systems to register with the state and comply with detailed contract, disclosure, and cancellation rules. The bill’s goal is to target deceptive marketing practices. It grants new oversight and enforcement powers to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), including the authority to issue penalties and refund orders. Unfortunately, this bill grows government bureaucracy by creating a new regulatory scheme and adding state employees. It imposes over $200,000 annually in costs for enforcement, IT systems, and legal proceedings. These costs ultimately fall on taxpayers, while also potentially increasing costs for legitimate businesses that must navigate new compliance requirements. The bill may hinder market innovation and consumer choice by centralizing authority in a state agency rather than allowing civil remedies and market competition to weed out bad actors. For these reasons, TFR opposes SB 1036.

Reminder: Vote Notices are provided to both Texas state lawmakers and the general public, sharing Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s position on issues to be rated as a part of the Fiscal Responsibility Index. Notices are provided 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 on the Fiscal Responsibility Index. We will make every effort to provide notice on amendments that are pre-filed.