Tag: texas
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Texas Senate appoints committee to develop rules for upcoming impeachment trial
The Texas Senate appointed a committee on May 29 to develop proposed rules for the upcoming impeachment proceeding against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). The committee, consisting of five Republicans and two Democrats, was directed to propose rules for the trial by June 20. The Senate also adopted a resolution on May 30 calling…
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Texas State Legislature sends 13 ballot measures to the November ballot during its regular session—the most since 2007
Texas voters will decide on 13 constitutional amendments this November—the most since 2007 when voters decided on 17 measures on two election dates. The average number of measures appearing on Texas odd-numbered-year ballots was 14 between 1985 and 2021. The year with the highest number of measures was 1987 with 25 on one election date.…
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All candidates for Irving City Council Place 5 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey
Both of the candidates running in the June 10, 2023, general runoff election for Irving City Council Place 5 — Mark Cronenwett (nonpartisan) and Heather Stroup (nonpartisan) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. Here are the candidates’ responses…
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Election legislation roundup: Texas State Legislature
As of May 28, members of the Texas State Legislature, which includes the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate, have passed four bills related to election administration since the beginning of the year. Of those four bills, legislators passed two during the week of May 22-28. A bipartisan group of legislators sponsored…
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Texans to decide constitutional amendment on cost-of-living adjustments for Teacher Retirement System in November
On May 25, the Texas Legislature took the final vote to send a constitutional amendment to the ballot that would authorize the legislature to provide for cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for certain annuitants, who meet criteria provided by law, of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. The amendment also authorizes the legislature to allocate money from…
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Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals issue 15 opinions from May 15-21
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued eight opinions from May 15-21. The Texas Supreme Court issued seven opinions from May 15-21. Both courts are the state’s courts of last resort. As of May 21, the court of criminal appeals issued 138 opinions in 2023 — 25 more than this point a year ago. The…
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Election legislation roundup: Texas House of Representatives
As of May 21, Ballotpedia has tracked 173 election-related bills in the Texas House of Representatives since the beginning of the year. Of the 173, Ballotpedia tracked one from May 15-21. Democrats sponsored the bill. The bill is below: TX HB21: Relating to the Texas Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission, Rep. James Talarico (D). As introduced,…
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Constitutional amendment to prohibit wealth or net worth taxes in Texas headed to November ballot
The Texas Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to prohibit any future legislation from enacting a wealth or net worth tax. This amendment was introduced as House Joint Resolution 132 on March 13, 2023. On May 2, the state House passed HJR 132 by a vote of 101-45 with four not voting. All Republicans…
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Childcare facilities could receive property tax exemption under a proposed Texas amendment
The Texas Legislature voted to send a constitutional amendment to the Nov. 2023 ballot that would allow counties or municipalities to authorize an exemption from property taxes on all or part of the appraised value of real property used to operate childcare facilities. A partial property tax exemption would need to equal at least 50%…
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Texans to decide on state parks funding in November
The Texas Legislature took the final vote to send a constitutional amendment establishing the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund to voters in November. The trust fund would consist of money appropriated to the fund by the legislature; gifts, grants, and donations received for the fund; and investment earnings on interest earned. The trust fund would be…