Just one week after the 2024 election in which the Republican Party further expanded their majorities in both chambers of the Texas Legislature, pre-filing of bills for the 2025 legislative session has started.
Thanks to the widespread victories of anti-establishment Republicans across Texas during the primary season, the 89th legislative session is shaping up to be perhaps the most conservative and liberty-focused in recent history. Regardless of this promising reality, fiscal conservatives must remain vigilant and stand firmly against all attempts by both Democrats and RINO’s to further erode economic freedom. Simultaneously, pressure must be continuously applied to hold each and every elected official accountable to their campaign promises.
Within a mere 12 hours after filing began, over 1000 bills pertaining to almost every policy issue imaginable were submitted in the Texas House and Senate. As is per usual, many elected officials are chomping at the bit to increase the size and scope of government, as well as its overarching prominence in the day-to-day lives of Texans. On the flip side, many legislators have already put forth pieces of legislation with the collective goal of restoring fiscal sanity to the Lone Star State.
Property Taxes
Several bills have been pre-filed pertaining to property taxes. Section one of HB 165, put forward by Rep. Cody Vasut (R-Angleton), aims to create a joint interim committee that will investigate alternative forms of revenue to compensate for the eventual elimination of ad valorem taxes altogether. Following the dissolution of this committee on January 1st, 2027, property taxes would be slowly phased out until their total elimination and illegalization in 2035.
HB 202, written by Rep. Will Metcalf (R, Montgomery), would place permanent limitations on the increases in appraisals of certain properties for ad valorem tax purposes. The bill dictates that appraisals for tax purposes may not exceed 20% per year, with limited exceptions on certain properties. While bills like this make attempts to decrease the overbearing nature of property taxes, they fail to address both the moral problem of perpetual rent payments to the government as well as the spending addiction of most levels of government.
Rep. Cecil Bell (R, Magnolia) proposed HB 228, which works to allocate state surplus funds to property tax relief efforts for taxpayers across the state.
Foreign Influence, Land Ownership and Illegal Immigration
In response to recent influxes in instances of China and other foreign countries procuring significant amounts of Texas land, inflating housing costs and endangering the food supply, numerous incoming legislators have pre-filed bills to end foreign influence and land ownership in the Lone Star State.
HB 191, written by Rep. David Spiller (R, Jacksboro), prohibits individuals from foreign nations assessed by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence as a risk to national security from purchasing or acquiring real property, which includes land, an improvement, a mine or quarry, a mineral in place, standing timber or an estate or interest, with few exceptions. Spiller additionally introduced HB 243, which expands the attorney general’s authority to seize property owned by foreign nations or entities if suspected of posing a threat to Texas’ critical infrastructure.
Aside from land ownership, several pre-filed bills address the general exploitation of Texas by foreign actors and illegal immigrants. HB 160 by Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (R, Galveston) prevents non-citizens from receiving in-state tuition rates at colleges and universities, and requires any school that learns of a student’s illegal presence in the United States to notify authorities. Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R, Southlake) submitted HB 173, which bars institutions of higher education from receiving or accepting gifts, grants or donations from certain hostile foreign countries and persons.
Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
One of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s top priorities that has disappointingly failed to make legislative headway in previous years is banning taxpayer-funded lobbying. This is an immoral practice in which local governments are able to use taxpayer dollars to send lobbyists to Austin and advocate for policies that go against those same taxpayers’ interests. TFR was successful in adding this as an RPT Legislative Priority for 2025.
Representative Leo-Wilson also pre-filed HB 309, which bars political subdivisions from hiring individuals who are required to register as lobbyists to influence legislative members. They are additionally prohibited from paying state affiliated organizations or those that primarily represent political subdivisions from doing so. Representative Briscoe Cain (R, Deer Park) penned a nearly identical bill with HB 571, which similarly outlaws taxpayer funded lobbying, further emphasizing the growing importance and attention towards this issue.
Perpetual Fiscal Irresponsibility
As is to be expected, Democrat members of the state legislature also threw some of their proposed bills into the ring during pre-filing. Their content highlights the continuing battles that fiscal conservatives have against further government growth.
One such bill, written by Representative Amando Walle (D, Houston), is HB 193, which would raise the state-wide minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. In a state already plagued by inflation and an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis, such a bill would lead to continued price increases for everyday products across the board. Further regulations such as this would also devastate many small businesses that would be rendered incapable of competing with large conglomerates.
Rep. John Bucy (D, Austin) pre-filed HB 237, which mandates pay raises for certain government employees and bureaucrats. The bill reads, “Each full-time employee of a state agency, including an institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code, is entitled to an increase in the employee ’s gross annual salary for each state fiscal year of that biennium in an amount equal to $10,000.” Once again, while taxpayers continue to suffer through a tumultuous economy caused by government expansion, left wing politicians are focused on redistributing more of the taxpayer’s hard earned money to government employees.
Self-professed fiscal conservatives in the legislature must be held accountable to their constituents and oppose all forms of government growth that places exacerbated burdens on the taxpayer.
The 89th Session’s Potential
As the pre-filing of bills for the 2025 legislative session begins, it is clear that the Texas Legislature is at a crossroads. With the recent Republican victories setting the stage for a potentially transformative session, the focus is on advancing conservative policies that prioritize fiscal responsibility and individual liberty. Fiscal conservatives must remain vigilant and proactive in ensuring that lawmakers stay true to their campaign promises, resisting efforts to expand government or enact policies that would undermine economic freedom.
While several bills already stand out as potential victories for taxpayers, such as efforts to address property tax reform, curb foreign influence in land ownership, and eliminate taxpayer-funded lobbying, there are also proposals that threaten to push Texas further down a path of fiscal irresponsibility. The battle over the future of Texas is not only one of policy but of principle, with each bill offering a glimpse into what the state will look like in the years to come.
If fiscal conservatives are able to rally, hold lawmakers accountable, and push for substantive reform, the 2025 session could mark a significant turning point for the state. However, failure to act decisively will only embolden those who seek to expand government power and diminish the economic freedoms that have made Texas a symbol of opportunity and prosperity.
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility is committed to educating and empowering Texans while holding politicians accountable by putting their feet to the fire and exposing them when they fail the taxpayer. Support our fight to restore fiscal sanity in the Lone Star State.
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