After 17 hours of debate on the House floor, the Texas House approved Senate Bill (SB) 1, which is the House’s proposal on how the state should allocate our taxpayer dollars for the next biennium. Throughout the budget debate, lawmakers proposed amendments to the budget, suggesting changes that range from small adjustments to major overhauls of statewide programs.
While crafting the state budget is a long and arduous process, I believe the budget the Texas House approved late Thursday evening represents a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to addressing our state’s most pressing issues while conservatively remaining $16 billion under the state’s spending limit.
As I have said before, property tax relief is a top priority for me this session. I was proud to work with my House colleagues throughout the budget-writing process to dedicate a historic investment to help reduce the property tax burden for all Texans. SB 1dedicates $51 billion toward property tax relief, including $11.2 billion more relief than the current biennium.
This budget also prioritizes our public school students and teachers by dedicating $7.7 billion in new K-12 funding, $4.3 billion for teacher pay raises, $400 million for additional school safety upgrades, and $450 million to reduce the cost of health insurance for teachers.
Finally, SB 1 also includes $6.5 billion for Operation Lonestar and our state’s ongoing border security efforts, $2.5 billion for water infrastructure, $1.1 billion to address high-risk security threats and secure Texans’ data, $449 million for nearly 600 new state troopers, $378 million for correctional officer raises, and $240 million for new beds at mental health facilities.
Overall, I believe the House’s budget proposal reflects a thoughtful and fiscally responsible approach to address the needs of all Texans. From property tax relief to border security, and from historic new public school funding to addressing the infrastructure needs of a rapidly growing state, this bill prioritizes every Texan by dedicating dollars to a wide range of issues while remaining well below our state’s spending limits.
The mobile office is still on the road again and our district director looks forward to seeing you on April 16 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9:30-11:30 am or at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 pm.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will post regular updates on what’s happening in your State Capitol and share information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.
