A new proposal to cut school property taxes in Texas perfectly outlines the political problem facing lawmakers: It’s terribly expensive, and other taxes have to be raised to pay for it.
housing
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Texas Legislature 2019
Days after heated meeting, Texas Senate property tax committee passes 2.5-percent rollback rate bill
The Senate panel’s vote came despite fierce pushback from city and county leaders, who say a lower election threshold on increased property tax revenues could hamstring their budgets.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Gov. Greg Abbott names school finance, property tax reform emergency items
The governor focused on bread-and-butter policy in a forum that has often featured a lot of red meat.
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Economy
Gov. Abbott, other Texas officials urge feds to clear way for Harvey money
The state has been waiting a year for the federal government to set rules for how $4.3 billion in disaster recovery grants can be spent.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Something’s missing from the opening bid for property tax “relief” in Texas
The property tax legislation unveiled by state leaders this week carries an implicit promise — that local school districts will get more state money — but doesn’t say where that money might come from.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas leaders want voters to OK property tax revenue growth over 2.5 percent. They couldn’t get 4 percent in 2017.
The leaders of both legislative chambers say they will be united this year — even if cities and counties push back — and that local officials should come to Austin with solutions in hand if they don’t like new proposals.
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Blocked Out
Section 8 vouchers are supposed to help the poor reach better neighborhoods. Texas law gets in the way.
Under Texas law, landlords cannot be punished for discriminating against families with federal housing vouchers. The impact is clear in Houston, where one in four families who receive housing assistance never gets to use it.
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This Is Your Texas
How to fix affordable housing in Texas, by Texans
At roundtable discussions in Dallas, Texans identified how expensive housing affects economic mobility and quality of life. And they came up with ideas on how policymakers can help residents.
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Texas Elections 2018
We took young Texans’ questions to the candidates. Here’s what they said.
Find out where Texas midterm candidates stand on student debt, DACA, school gun violence and more.
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In Harvey's Wake
Study says to fix Harvey-related housing damage, Houston needs $2 billion more in federal funds
Using new methodology that includes flood maps and hydraulic modeling, scientists and flood engineers worked with the city to find out which parts of Houston are still struggling post-Harvey, and what it’ll take to help residents recover.