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HJR 36Proposing a constitutional amendment; filed Nov. 9, 202690th Regular Session (2027)

Your property tax could be capped if you are low-income and disabled or 65 or older, but only if your local taxing body chooses it

What it does

HJR 36 proposes a constitutional amendment that would let a political subdivision other than a school district, county, city or town, or junior college district cap the total property tax charged to a residence homestead of a person of limited financial means who is disabled or 65 years of age or older and receives the homestead exemption. The local governing body could adopt the cap on its own, or voters could decide at an election if a petition signed by 5 percent of the subdivision's registered voters is filed. Once a subdivision adopts the cap, it could not repeal it, though the tax could still rise when improvements other than repairs add value to the home. The amendment would go to voters on Nov. 2, 2027, and if approved, would take effect Jan. 1, 2028.

What it means for your community

A low-income homeowner who is disabled or 65 or older would keep the same total property tax instead of watching it climb, as long as the taxing body that bills the property chooses the cap. Your city, county, school district and junior college are not covered, so the change would only reach other local taxing bodies. If the homeowner dies, the cap could stay with a surviving spouse who is also of limited financial means and is disabled or 55 years of age or older at the time of death. Texas voters would decide this one at the polls on Nov. 2, 2027.

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Read the full bill on Texas Legislature Online

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