November 4th Voters Guide

Prop 1 would create an endowment for Texas State Technical College

Rationale: 

Texas State Technical College (TSTC) trains people for high need jobs at their 11 campuses across the state. They currently do not have a dedicated source of funding meaning that their funding is up to the whims of the legislature. Meaning they’re underfunded. They are in desperate need of new facilities and renovations. Please vote yes so TSTC can fix their leaking roofs.

Prop 2 would ban the state from taxing capital gains of an individual, family, estate or trust

Rationale: 

This proposition bans a tax for rich people that we don’t even have. It is a complete waste of time. Capital gains tax only affects the top 1-2% of tax payers and would actually be a good thing to have. This restricts Texas’ ability to impose new taxes which is going to be bad when we are in a budget deficit and have no options.

Prop 3 would require judges to deny bail in specific felony offenses

Rationale:

The Democrats flipped Harris County about 10 years ago and ever since then the R’s have been throwing a hissy fit. The R’s are sore losers and have decided to scream loudly over Harris County bail reform efforts. This proposition is really bad. It is one of the few things the Democrats had been able to stop for the last few legislative sessions. This proposition denies bail to those ACCUSED of certain felonies. These are pretrial cases and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. This proposition flips that on its head. It sets a terrible precedent and with over policing and so many criminal laws on the books, this will allow the state to disappear more people. This will lead to more people in our jails which are already overcrowded and unable to meet the basic human needs of those forced to be in them.

Prop 4 would allocate a portion of sales tax revenue to the Texas water fund

Rationale:

This proposition rocks! It would allow $20 billion to be used for water infrastructure projects over the next 2 decades. The money would go to fixing aging pipes and other infrastructure; developing and increasing new water sources, such as desalination; flood mitigation projects; and supporting conservation efforts to help meet water demands. The only thing that would make this better is if there were MORE money. We should have done this 20 years ago but better late than never. Our state is literally running out of water and many areas across Texas are feeling the effects of the state's neglect. If we don’t pass this we will all feel it very soon. 

Prop 5 would provide additional tax exemption of animal feed

Rationale:

We would love it if the state would do something significant to help struggling ranchers and farmers, but this isn’t it. This is a tax cut for agricultural retail stores. Livestock feed is already exempt from state sales tax and is generally untaxed throughout its production and consumption. There is no guarantee that the savings will reach consumers. Sorry, best we could do is bail out Argentina. 

Prop 6 would prohibit the state from creating new taxes on stock trading

Rationale:

This is another proposition that bans a tax for rich people that we don’t even have. Texas now has its own Stock Exchange (how insufferable) and people will tell you that this prop is to support the creation of it. But we know it’s to make sure rich people don’t have to pay taxes on the buying and selling of stocks, bonds, etc. This restricts Texas’ ability to impose new taxes which is going to be bad when we are in a budget deficit and have no options.

Prop 7 would provide a property tax exemption to the spouses of veterans whose death was service-connected

Rationale:

This closes a gap concerning federal law under the PACT Act, which recognizes service members affected by toxic exposure as 100% disabled. The PACT Act allows a property tax exemption to veterans or their spouses, but those who died before the PACT Act passed are not eligible. This closes that gap. Our country does a really bad job at supporting those who fall victim to the military and their families, and we should do better. This would cost the state almost nothing. It wouldn’t affect very many people, but it would mean a lot to those who qualify.

Prop 8 would prohibit the state from ever imposing death taxes

Rationale:

This is another proposition that bans a tax for rich people that we don’t even have. An inheritance tax is often referred to as a “death tax”. These taxes are paid by the person receiving inheritance. This also affects estate taxes which are deducted from the deceased's estate before they are given the person receiving them. Only wealthy people pay these taxes. This restricts Texas’ ability to impose new taxes which is going to be bad when we are in a budget deficit and have no options.

Prop 9 would increase tax exemption for businesses from $2,500 to $125,000

Rationale:

This is a property tax exemption increase for businesses. This would raise the local Business Personal Property (BPP) tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000 and extend eligibility to businesses of any size. This shifts the tax burden away from businesses and onto residents.

Prop 10 would provide a temporary tax exemption to homes completely destroyed by a fire

Rationale:

This is a good proposition and helps Texans whose homes burn down. It isn’t only for those impacted by the wildfires, but it will help them. It creates a process to temporarily lower property taxes on homes destroyed by fire.

Prop 11 would increase the amount of tax exemption for people who are elderly or disabled

Rationale:

This proposition pairs with Prop 13. It gives the elderly or disabled an extra homestead exemption of $60,000. This means that if Prop 11 and Prop 13 pass the elderly and disabled would get a homestead exemption of $200,000. That is significant and could keep some people in their homes.

Prop 12 would increase the number of governor appointed members to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC)

Rationale:

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) is an independent agency responsible for investigating allegations of judicial misconduct and disability. This proposition does a lot, but all you need to know is that this is an effort by R’s to erode judicial independence. This threatens the SCJC’s credibility, the separation of powers, and the impartiality of the courts.

Prop 13 would increase the property tax homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000

Rationale:

This would increase the property tax homestead exemption to $140,000. A home owner with a home valued at $302,000 last year, would have saved about $490 on their school property taxes had this been in place. The price tag on this proposition is large… $2.7 billion. But the state is picking up the tab.

Prop 14 would establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and allocate $3 billion to the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund

Rationale:

This was a Dan Patrick passion project, but before he thought it was cool it was spearheaded by a long time democratic legislator, Rep. Senfronia Thompson. This would give $3 billion to create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) to study dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other brain related conditions. We LOVE public health funding and we want more of it.

Prop 15 would “[affirm] that parents are the primary decision makers for their children”

Rationale:

This is right wing non-sense and a complete waste of time. This is already outlined in federal case law. This comes from the same people that bring us brilliant ideas such as school vouchers and thinking that public schools are turning their kids queer.

Prop 16 would “clarify that a voter must be a United States Citizen”

Rationale:

This is another proposition that is a complete waste of time. Non-citizens already can’t vote. The one thing this would do is stop cities and counties from allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections. But there have been no real efforts to do that anywhere in Texas. This is a ridiculous proposition that only further villainizes non-citizens.

Prop 17 would provide property tax exemption to those who have “border security infrastructure”

Rationale:

If you love Operation Lone Star this is the proposition for you. This gives a property tax exemption for those who have “border security” infrastructure built on their private property. Most property along the border is privately owned. We should not incentivize border walls or other types of border barriers to be built.