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Texas Voters to Weigh 17 Constitutional Amendments as Early Voting Nears

Most proposals lock tax policy into the constitution, committing recurring state dollars.

Overview

  • Ten of the 17 measures would restrict taxation, including preventive bans on a state capital gains tax, death and inheritance taxes, and certain securities or exchange taxes.
  • Property-tax provisions would raise homestead exemptions, including $140,000 for most homeowners and an added $60,000 for seniors and people with disabilities, with state backfill costs estimated at about $4 billion over two years.
  • Proposition 4 would create a Texas Water Fund funded at $1 billion annually to support new water supply and infrastructure repair projects.
  • Proposition 14 would establish a dementia research endowment with a $3 billion initial allocation on Jan. 1, 2026, followed by $300 million each fiscal year.
  • Criminal-justice and court measures include allowing judges to deny bail for a range of serious felonies and expanding the Texas Supreme Court’s oversight of judicial discipline through changes to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.