FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate Deliver for Texans
Propositions 4, 7, and 9’s passage is life-changing for Texans!
HOUSTON, TX – Following the passage of Proposition 4, Proposition 7, and Proposition 9 at the polls on Tuesday, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick issued this statement today:
“Thirteen of fourteen constitutional propositions passed yesterday. The Texas Senate put a lot of work into passing these important measures. Congratulations to all.
“Proposition 4, Proposition 7, and Proposition 9 were of particular interest to me as I worked closely with Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, and Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, on them, respectively.
“As I traveled the state last fall, countless Texans asked me for meaningful property tax relief. For 7 months this year, the entire Texas Senate stood firm throughout the regular session and two special sessions, fighting to guarantee Texas homeowners received a $100,000 homestead exemption. I refused give up on the exemption no matter how long it took. Yesterday, Texans overwhelmingly approved Proposition 4, the amendment to codify a $100,000 homestead exemption in the Texas Constitution forever. Seniors will receive an additional $10,000 exemption, taking their total homestead exemption to $110,000.
“Proposition 4’s passage is a massive victory for all Texans. The average homeowner will get a $1,250 tax cut every year, beginning this year, resulting in thousands and thousands of dollars of tax relief for the life of their homestead.
“I want to especially thank Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, for leading the charge with me over the past 20 years to help Texas homeowners receive the maximum tax benefit. He’s the expert on this issue.
“The passage of Proposition 7, creating the Texas Energy Fund, is another great success for Texans. It is no surprise that voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of the fund because they understand that dispatchable power is the most reliable way to secure our power grid and renewable energy sources are not dependable during times of duress. Providing low-interest loans to build new dispatchable energy generation in Texas will reinforce our grid for generations to come.
“I have been fighting to build reserve power since Winter Storm Uri. During this recent long, hot summer, we were living on the edge for too many days. It is clear the voters agree with me. I thank Sen. Schwertner for spearheading the Texas Senate’s effort to strengthen our power grid. He passed a strong package of incentives to meet our present and future needs.
“The Texas Senate’s leadership was also key in getting Proposition 9, a COLA (cost-of-living-adjustment) for retired teachers. This issue is also very important to me and Senate Finance Chair Joan Huffman. We spent countless hours working with Tim Lee of the Retired Teachers Association to find the right path forward after a decade of working on it. This session, because of the budget surplus, we finally had the funds, $5 billion, to make this long-term goal, along with an additional stipend, happen for retired teachers.
“Yesterday, Texas voters approved Proposition 9 easily for our hundreds of thousands of retired educators. I thank Sen. Huffman for sharing my passion to help these teachers and helping pave the way for the bill’s passage.
“Millions of homeowners and retired teachers will benefit from the passage of Proposition 4 and 9, and all Texans will benefit from the passage of Proposition 7. It has been a long time coming, but the budget surplus gave us the billions of dollars we needed to accomplish these monumental achievements.
“I hope all homeowners and retired teachers are as excited as Sens. Bettencourt, Schwertner, Huffman, the other 28 Senators, and I are. Thank you to all the Texans who turned out to vote. It was a total Texas team win.”
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