AUSTIN, Texas — With only 48 hours left in the 88th Legislature’s first special session, legislators are still without a deal on property tax relief.
The special session ends Tuesday night.
During most of this session, the Texas Senate and House have been at a stalemate over which plan provides the best property tax relief for taxpayers.
The House has not returned to Austin since leaving immediately after passing its plan at the beginning of the session and telling the Senate to take it or leave it.
Senators passed a new bill a few days ago that provides $18 billion in property tax relief. It passed unanimously.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) said the Senate’s recent proposal is a great plan that benefits all taxpayers.
“It’s a great path for all Texas businesses, all homeowners - because we’ve added components not only just to have eye-popping numbers for homesteads, $1,270 a year for the average homeowner - up to $1,500, but a whole bunch of great business tax relief, too,” Bettencourt said on Inside Texas Politics.
Bettencourt agrees that the Senate’s latest property tax relief bill is extending an olive branch to the House, one that offers benefits to all Texas taxpayers. It directly helps businesses because they won’t pay a franchise tax. Taxpayers over 65 will save. And the proposal lowers, by 30%, the rollback rate that governs how much money schools take from taxpayers.
“And that should be something, I hope, that the House would jump on because it’s a great idea,” said Bettencourt.
He thinks that a way to break the political standstill between the two chambers is by recognizing what’s best for Texas taxpayers.
He declined to speculate on whether the House Speaker or the Governor is responsible for the lack of a deal. And hopes that the Senate’s plan passes before the end of the special session.
“If not, there’s always the next day, and the next day, and the next day,” Bettencourt said.