CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html>     <html class="no-js">  <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.texastribune.org:80/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/","20150627104426","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1435401866"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>House Unanimously Backs Property Tax Break | The Texas Tribune</title> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/favicon.ico"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta charset="utf-8"><script type="text/javascript">(window.NREUM||(NREUM={})).loader_config={xpid:"UgMGVFZADAYCUVBR"};window.NREUM||(NREUM={}),__nr_require=function(t,e,n){function r(n){if(!e[n]){var o=e[n]={exports:{}};t[n][0].call(o.exports,function(e){var o=t[n][1][e];return r(o?o:e)},o,o.exports)}return e[n].exports}if("function"==typeof __nr_require)return __nr_require;for(var o=0;o<n.length;o++)r(n[o]);return r}({QJf3ax:[function(t,e){function n(t){function e(e,n,a){t&&t(e,n,a),a||(a={});for(var c=s(e),f=c.length,u=i(a,o,r),d=0;f>d;d++)c[d].apply(u,n);return u}function a(t,e){f[t]=s(t).concat(e)}function s(t){return f[t]||[]}function c(){return n(e)}var f={};return{on:a,emit:e,create:c,listeners:s,_events:f}}function r(){return{}}var o="nr@context",i=t("gos");e.exports=n()},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],ee:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("QJf3ax")},{}],3:[function(t){function e(t){try{i.console&&console.log(t)}catch(e){}}var n,r=t("ee"),o=t(1),i={};try{n=localStorage.getItem("__nr_flags").split(","),console&&"function"==typeof console.log&&(i.console=!0,-1!==n.indexOf("dev")&&(i.dev=!0),-1!==n.indexOf("nr_dev")&&(i.nrDev=!0))}catch(a){}i.nrDev&&r.on("internal-error",function(t){e(t.stack)}),i.dev&&r.on("fn-err",function(t,n,r){e(r.stack)}),i.dev&&(e("NR AGENT IN DEVELOPMENT MODE"),e("flags: "+o(i,function(t){return t}).join(", ")))},{1:23,ee:"QJf3ax"}],4:[function(t){function e(t,e,n,i,s){try{c?c-=1:r("err",[s||new UncaughtException(t,e,n)])}catch(f){try{r("ierr",[f,(new Date).getTime(),!0])}catch(u){}}return"function"==typeof a?a.apply(this,o(arguments)):!1}function UncaughtException(t,e,n){this.message=t||"Uncaught error with no additional information",this.sourceURL=e,this.line=n}function n(t){r("err",[t,(new Date).getTime()])}var r=t("handle"),o=t(6),i=t("ee"),a=window.onerror,s=!1,c=0;t("loader").features.err=!0,t(5),window.onerror=e;try{throw new Error}catch(f){"stack"in f&&(t(1),t(2),"addEventListener"in window&&t(3),window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&!/CriOS/.test(navigator.userAgent)&&t(4),s=!0)}i.on("fn-start",function(){s&&(c+=1)}),i.on("fn-err",function(t,e,r){s&&(this.thrown=!0,n(r))}),i.on("fn-end",function(){s&&!this.thrown&&c>0&&(c-=1)}),i.on("internal-error",function(t){r("ierr",[t,(new Date).getTime(),!0])})},{1:10,2:9,3:7,4:11,5:3,6:24,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],5:[function(t){t("loader").features.ins=!0},{loader:"G9z0Bl"}],6:[function(t){function e(){}if(window.performance&&window.performance.timing&&window.performance.getEntriesByType){var n=t("ee"),r=t("handle"),o=t(1),i=t(2);t("loader").features.stn=!0,t(3),n.on("fn-start",function(t){var e=t[0];e instanceof Event&&(this.bstStart=Date.now())}),n.on("fn-end",function(t,e){var n=t[0];n instanceof Event&&r("bst",[n,e,this.bstStart,Date.now()])}),o.on("fn-start",function(t,e,n){this.bstStart=Date.now(),this.bstType=n}),o.on("fn-end",function(t,e){r("bstTimer",[e,this.bstStart,Date.now(),this.bstType])}),i.on("fn-start",function(){this.bstStart=Date.now()}),i.on("fn-end",function(t,e){r("bstTimer",[e,this.bstStart,Date.now(),"requestAnimationFrame"])}),n.on("pushState-start",function(){this.time=Date.now(),this.startPath=location.pathname+location.hash}),n.on("pushState-end",function(){r("bstHist",[location.pathname+location.hash,this.startPath,this.time])}),"addEventListener"in window.performance&&(window.performance.addEventListener("webkitresourcetimingbufferfull",function(){r("bstResource",[window.performance.getEntriesByType("resource")]),window.performance.webkitClearResourceTimings()},!1),window.performance.addEventListener("resourcetimingbufferfull",function(){r("bstResource",[window.performance.getEntriesByType("resource")]),window.performance.clearResourceTimings()},!1)),document.addEventListener("scroll",e,!1),document.addEventListener("keypress",e,!1),document.addEventListener("click",e,!1)}},{1:10,2:9,3:8,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],7:[function(t,e){function n(t){i.inPlace(t,["addEventListener","removeEventListener"],"-",r)}function r(t){return t[1]}var o=(t(1),t("ee").create()),i=t(2)(o),a=t("gos");if(e.exports=o,n(window),"getPrototypeOf"in Object){for(var s=document;s&&!s.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener");)s=Object.getPrototypeOf(s);s&&n(s);for(var c=XMLHttpRequest.prototype;c&&!c.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener");)c=Object.getPrototypeOf(c);c&&n(c)}else XMLHttpRequest.prototype.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener")&&n(XMLHttpRequest.prototype);o.on("addEventListener-start",function(t){if(t[1]){var e=t[1];"function"==typeof e?this.wrapped=t[1]=a(e,"nr@wrapped",function(){return i(e,"fn-",null,e.name||"anonymous")}):"function"==typeof e.handleEvent&&i.inPlace(e,["handleEvent"],"fn-")}}),o.on("removeEventListener-start",function(t){var e=this.wrapped;e&&(t[1]=e)})},{1:24,2:25,ee:"QJf3ax",gos:"7eSDFh"}],8:[function(t,e){var n=(t(2),t("ee").create()),r=t(1)(n);e.exports=n,r.inPlace(window.history,["pushState"],"-")},{1:25,2:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}],9:[function(t,e){var n=(t(2),t("ee").create()),r=t(1)(n);e.exports=n,r.inPlace(window,["requestAnimationFrame","mozRequestAnimationFrame","webkitRequestAnimationFrame","msRequestAnimationFrame"],"raf-"),n.on("raf-start",function(t){t[0]=r(t[0],"fn-")})},{1:25,2:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}],10:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){t[0]=o(t[0],"fn-",null,n)}var r=(t(2),t("ee").create()),o=t(1)(r);e.exports=r,o.inPlace(window,["setTimeout","setInterval","setImmediate"],"setTimer-"),r.on("setTimer-start",n)},{1:25,2:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}],11:[function(t,e){function n(){f.inPlace(this,p,"fn-")}function r(t,e){f.inPlace(e,["onreadystatechange"],"fn-")}function o(t,e){return e}function i(t,e){for(var n in t)e[n]=t[n];return e}var a=t("ee").create(),s=t(1),c=t(2),f=c(a),u=c(s),d=window.XMLHttpRequest,p=["onload","onerror","onabort","onloadstart","onloadend","onprogress","ontimeout"];e.exports=a,window.XMLHttpRequest=function(t){var e=new d(t);try{a.emit("new-xhr",[],e),u.inPlace(e,["addEventListener","removeEventListener"],"-",o),e.addEventListener("readystatechange",n,!1)}catch(r){try{a.emit("internal-error",[r])}catch(i){}}return e},i(d,XMLHttpRequest),XMLHttpRequest.prototype=d.prototype,f.inPlace(XMLHttpRequest.prototype,["open","send"],"-xhr-",o),a.on("send-xhr-start",r),a.on("open-xhr-start",r)},{1:7,2:25,ee:"QJf3ax"}],12:[function(t){function e(t){var e=this.params,r=this.metrics;if(!this.ended){this.ended=!0;for(var i=0;c>i;i++)t.removeEventListener(s[i],this.listener,!1);if(!e.aborted){if(r.duration=(new Date).getTime()-this.startTime,4===t.readyState){e.status=t.status;var a=t.responseType,f="arraybuffer"===a||"blob"===a||"json"===a?t.response:t.responseText,u=n(f);if(u&&(r.rxSize=u),this.sameOrigin){var d=t.getResponseHeader("X-NewRelic-App-Data");d&&(e.cat=d.split(", ").pop())}}else e.status=0;r.cbTime=this.cbTime,o("xhr",[e,r,this.startTime])}}}function n(t){if("string"==typeof t&&t.length)return t.length;if("object"!=typeof t)return void 0;if("undefined"!=typeof ArrayBuffer&&t instanceof ArrayBuffer&&t.byteLength)return t.byteLength;if("undefined"!=typeof Blob&&t instanceof Blob&&t.size)return t.size;if("undefined"!=typeof FormData&&t instanceof FormData)return void 0;try{return JSON.stringify(t).length}catch(e){return void 0}}function r(t,e){var n=i(e),r=t.params;r.host=n.hostname+":"+n.port,r.pathname=n.pathname,t.sameOrigin=n.sameOrigin}if(window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&!/CriOS/.test(navigator.userAgent)){t("loader").features.xhr=!0;var o=t("handle"),i=t(2),a=t("ee"),s=["load","error","abort","timeout"],c=s.length,f=t(1);t(4),t(3),a.on("new-xhr",function(){this.totalCbs=0,this.called=0,this.cbTime=0,this.end=e,this.ended=!1,this.xhrGuids={}}),a.on("open-xhr-start",function(t){this.params={method:t[0]},r(this,t[1]),this.metrics={}}),a.on("open-xhr-end",function(t,e){"loader_config"in NREUM&&"xpid"in NREUM.loader_config&&this.sameOrigin&&e.setRequestHeader("X-NewRelic-ID",NREUM.loader_config.xpid)}),a.on("send-xhr-start",function(t,e){var r=this.metrics,o=t[0],i=this;if(r&&o){var f=n(o);f&&(r.txSize=f)}this.startTime=(new Date).getTime(),this.listener=function(t){try{"abort"===t.type&&(i.params.aborted=!0),("load"!==t.type||i.called===i.totalCbs&&(i.onloadCalled||"function"!=typeof e.onload))&&i.end(e)}catch(n){try{a.emit("internal-error",[n])}catch(r){}}};for(var u=0;c>u;u++)e.addEventListener(s[u],this.listener,!1)}),a.on("xhr-cb-time",function(t,e,n){this.cbTime+=t,e?this.onloadCalled=!0:this.called+=1,this.called!==this.totalCbs||!this.onloadCalled&&"function"==typeof n.onload||this.end(n)}),a.on("xhr-load-added",function(t,e){var n=""+f(t)+!!e;this.xhrGuids&&!this.xhrGuids[n]&&(this.xhrGuids[n]=!0,this.totalCbs+=1)}),a.on("xhr-load-removed",function(t,e){var n=""+f(t)+!!e;this.xhrGuids&&this.xhrGuids[n]&&(delete this.xhrGuids[n],this.totalCbs-=1)}),a.on("addEventListener-end",function(t,e){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&"load"===t[0]&&a.emit("xhr-load-added",[t[1],t[2]],e)}),a.on("removeEventListener-end",function(t,e){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&"load"===t[0]&&a.emit("xhr-load-removed",[t[1],t[2]],e)}),a.on("fn-start",function(t,e,n){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&("onload"===n&&(this.onload=!0),("load"===(t[0]&&t[0].type)||this.onload)&&(this.xhrCbStart=(new Date).getTime()))}),a.on("fn-end",function(t,e){this.xhrCbStart&&a.emit("xhr-cb-time",[(new Date).getTime()-this.xhrCbStart,this.onload,e],e)})}},{1:"XL7HBI",2:13,3:11,4:7,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],13:[function(t,e){e.exports=function(t){var e=document.createElement("a"),n=window.location,r={};e.href=t,r.port=e.port;var o=e.href.split("://");return!r.port&&o[1]&&(r.port=o[1].split("/")[0].split("@").pop().split(":")[1]),r.port&&"0"!==r.port||(r.port="https"===o[0]?"443":"80"),r.hostname=e.hostname||n.hostname,r.pathname=e.pathname,r.protocol=o[0],"/"!==r.pathname.charAt(0)&&(r.pathname="/"+r.pathname),r.sameOrigin=!e.hostname||e.hostname===document.domain&&e.port===n.port&&e.protocol===n.protocol,r}},{}],14:[function(t,e){function n(t){return function(){r(t,[(new Date).getTime()].concat(i(arguments)))}}var r=t("handle"),o=t(1),i=t(2);"undefined"==typeof window.newrelic&&(newrelic=window.NREUM);var a=["setPageViewName","addPageAction","setCustomAttribute","finished","addToTrace","inlineHit","noticeError"];o(a,function(t,e){window.NREUM[e]=n("api-"+e)}),e.exports=window.NREUM},{1:23,2:24,handle:"D5DuLP"}],"7eSDFh":[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){if(r.call(t,e))return t[e];var o=n();if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{return Object.defineProperty(t,e,{value:o,writable:!0,enumerable:!1}),o}catch(i){}return t[e]=o,o}var r=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=n},{}],gos:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("7eSDFh")},{}],handle:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("D5DuLP")},{}],D5DuLP:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){return r.listeners(t).length?r.emit(t,e,n):(o[t]||(o[t]=[]),void o[t].push(e))}var r=t("ee").create(),o={};e.exports=n,n.ee=r,r.q=o},{ee:"QJf3ax"}],id:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("XL7HBI")},{}],XL7HBI:[function(t,e){function n(t){var e=typeof t;return!t||"object"!==e&&"function"!==e?-1:t===window?0:i(t,o,function(){return r++})}var r=1,o="nr@id",i=t("gos");e.exports=n},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],G9z0Bl:[function(t,e){function n(){var t=p.info=NREUM.info,e=f.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(t&&t.licenseKey&&t.applicationID&&e){s(d,function(e,n){e in t||(t[e]=n)});var n="https"===u.split(":")[0]||t.sslForHttp;p.proto=n?"https://":"http://",a("mark",["onload",i()]);var r=f.createElement("script");r.src=p.proto+t.agent,e.parentNode.insertBefore(r,e)}}function r(){"complete"===f.readyState&&o()}function o(){a("mark",["domContent",i()])}function i(){return(new Date).getTime()}var a=t("handle"),s=t(1),c=(t(2),window),f=c.document,u=(""+location).split("?")[0],d={beacon:"bam.nr-data.net",errorBeacon:"bam.nr-data.net",agent:"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-632.min.js"},p=e.exports={offset:i(),origin:u,features:{}};f.addEventListener?(f.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",o,!1),c.addEventListener("load",n,!1)):(f.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",r),c.attachEvent("onload",n)),a("mark",["firstbyte",i()])},{1:23,2:14,handle:"D5DuLP"}],loader:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("G9z0Bl")},{}],23:[function(t,e){function n(t,e){var n=[],o="",i=0;for(o in t)r.call(t,o)&&(n[i]=e(o,t[o]),i+=1);return n}var r=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=n},{}],24:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){e||(e=0),"undefined"==typeof n&&(n=t?t.length:0);for(var r=-1,o=n-e||0,i=Array(0>o?0:o);++r<o;)i[r]=t[e+r];return i}e.exports=n},{}],25:[function(t,e){function n(t){return!(t&&"function"==typeof t&&t.apply&&!t[i])}var r=t("ee"),o=t(1),i="nr@wrapper",a=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=function(t){function e(t,e,r,a){function nrWrapper(){var n,i,s,f;try{i=this,n=o(arguments),s=r&&r(n,i)||{}}catch(d){u([d,"",[n,i,a],s])}c(e+"start",[n,i,a],s);try{return f=t.apply(i,n)}catch(p){throw c(e+"err",[n,i,p],s),p}finally{c(e+"end",[n,i,f],s)}}return n(t)?t:(e||(e=""),nrWrapper[i]=!0,f(t,nrWrapper),nrWrapper)}function s(t,r,o,i){o||(o="");var a,s,c,f="-"===o.charAt(0);for(c=0;c<r.length;c++)s=r[c],a=t[s],n(a)||(t[s]=e(a,f?s+o:o,i,s))}function c(e,n,r){try{t.emit(e,n,r)}catch(o){u([o,e,n,r])}}function f(t,e){if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{var n=Object.keys(t);return n.forEach(function(n){Object.defineProperty(e,n,{get:function(){return t[n]},set:function(e){return t[n]=e,e}})}),e}catch(r){u([r])}for(var o in t)a.call(t,o)&&(e[o]=t[o]);return e}function u(e){try{t.emit("internal-error",e)}catch(n){}}return t||(t=r),e.inPlace=s,e.flag=i,e}},{1:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}]},{},["G9z0Bl",4,12,6,5]);</script><script type="text/javascript">window.NREUM||(NREUM={});NREUM.info={"beacon":"bam.nr-data.net","queueTime":0,"licenseKey":"8636ab2091","agent":"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-632.min.js","transactionName":"ZwZWZ0NWD0VRAE1YCV5MckZfVBVfXw0WUgleF1FdRRkSQl8RUFQVHhVdVkZEW3VfDU1UCEQnUUdQXg0=","applicationID":"452513","errorBeacon":"bam.nr-data.net","applicationTime":348}</script> <meta name="description" content="In a 136-1 vote, the House favored Senate Bill 1, which would raise the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000 if voters approve an amendment to the state Constitution in November."/> <meta name="keywords" content=""/> <meta property="twitter:card" content="photo"/> <meta property="twitter:site" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta property="twitter:title" content="House Unanimously Backs Property Tax Break, by Aman Batheja"/> <meta property="twitter:description" content="In a 136-1 vote, the House favored Senate Bill 1, which would raise the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000 if voters approve an amendment to the state Constitution in November."/> <meta property="twitter:image" content="https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/13/IMG_9993_jpg_407x1000_q100.jpg"> <meta name="parsely-title" content="House Unanimously Backs Property Tax Break"/> <meta name="parsely-link" content="http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/"/> <meta name="parsely-pub-date" content="May 24, 2015, 8:48 p.m."/> <meta name="parsely-author" content="Aman Batheja"/> <meta name="parsely-section" content="FRONT PAGE, Legislature, ECONOMY"/> <meta property="parsely-image-url" content="https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/13/IMG_9993_jpg_407x1000_q100.jpg"> <meta name="parsely-type" content="post"/> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="154122474650943"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/"/> <meta property="twitter:url" content="http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/"/> <meta property="og:title" content="House Unanimously Backs Property Tax Break, by Aman Batheja"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:description" content="In a 136-1 vote, the House favored Senate Bill 1, which would raise the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000 if voters approve an amendment to the state Constitution in November."/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/13/IMG_9993_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg"/>  <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426js_/http://use.typekit.com/brb4jmm.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">try{Typekit.load();}catch(e){}</script> <link href="https://plus.google.com/116406259333166116089/" rel="publisher"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426cs_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/COMPRESSED/css/0595e7490fb8.css" type="text/css"/>  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426cs_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/css/story_base.css"> <script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-9827490-1', 'texastribune.org'); ga('require', 'displayfeatures'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= '//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','mipData','GTM-NBBG35');</script> <script>// var tt = tt || {}; tt.debug = false; tt.media_url = 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/'; tt.facebook = {appId: '154122474650943'}; // Doubleclick integration tt.ads = { // targeting: {}, // addTarget: function(key, value) { if (typeof key === 'undefined'){ // get all attrs return tt.ads.targeting; } else { // set attr tt.ads.targeting[key] = value; } } }; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.min.js"></script> <script>window.jQuery || document.write('<script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.min.js"><\/script>')</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8.18/jquery-ui.min.js"></script> <script>window.jQuery.ui || document.write('<script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/jqueryui/jquery-ui-1.8.18.min.js"><\/script>')</script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426js_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/modernizr/modernizr.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var tt = tt || {}; tt.currentPage = tt.currentPage || {}; var shortenedHash = '1BkNpI0'; tt.currentPage.canonicalUrl = '/2015/05/24/house\u002Dunanimously\u002Dbacks\u002Dproperty\u002Dtax\u002Dbreak/'; var authorTwitterAccounts = ['']; tt.currentPage.authors = [ "Aman Batheja" ]; tt.currentPage.authorsText = "Aman Batheja"; tt.currentPage.sections = [ "article" ]; tt.currentPage.sections.push("FRONT PAGE"); tt.currentPage.sections.push("Legislature"); tt.currentPage.sections.push("ECONOMY"); </script> </head> <body class="story responsive"> <script type="text/javascript"> var _qevents = _qevents || []; (function() { var elem = document.createElement('script'); elem.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/https://secure" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://edge") + ".quantserve.com/quant.js"; elem.async = true; elem.type = "text/javascript"; var scpt = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; scpt.parentNode.insertBefore(elem, scpt); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript">var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime()</script> <div class="wrapper-r"> <div id="site_roofline" style="position:relative;"> <div class="hide-for-mobile large_ad_container"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline1_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline2_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline3_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline4_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> </div> <div class="mobile-only"> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline1_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline2_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline3_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline4_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="greeting"> <ul> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/register/" title="Register for your free Texas Tribune account">Register</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/login/?next=">Login</a> <script> (function(){ var allScripts = document.getElementsByTagName('script'), currentScript = allScripts[allScripts.length - 1], node = currentScript; while (node = node.previousSibling) { if (node.nodeName == "A"){ node.href += document.location.pathname; break; } }; })(); </script> </li> </ul> </div> <header id="site_header"> <nav class="navbar primary"> <ul> <li class="hide-for-mobile navbar-search"> <form method="get" action="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"> <input id="site_search_q" name="q" type="text" value="" placeholder="Search..."> <button type="submit" aria-label="Submit"><i class="icon-search"></i></button> </form> </li> <li class="active hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a class="dropdown-toggle" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/"> Front Page </a> <div class="mega-dropdown grid" id="sections"> <div class="cell w-3 tab_nav_cell"> <ul id="sidemenu" class="tab-nav"> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="sections-tab-container" class="cell w-9 tab_container" data-content-resource="/esi/components/megadropdown/"> <div style="padding: 1em; font-family: 'LeagueGothicRegular'; font-size:2.1em; color: #999; ">Loading...</div> </div> </div> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/data/"> Data </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/"> Directory </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/events/"> Events </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/festival/"> Festival </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a class="multimedia" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/"> Multimedia </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/subscribe/"> Newsletters </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.tribtalk.org/"> TribTalk </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/investigations/" title="Investigations"> Investigations </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2016/" title="2016 Presidential Elections"> 2016 </a> </li> <li class="mobile-only active dropdown-toggle"> <a href="#"> Menu<i class="icon-caret-down"></i> </a> <ul class="mobile-dropdown"> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/">Front Page</a> </li> <li> <a class="data" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/data/">Data</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/">Directory</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/events/">Events</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/festival/">Festival</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/">Multimedia</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.tribtalk.org/">TribTalk</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/investigations/" title="Investigations"> Investigations </a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2016/" title="2016 Presidential Elections"> 2016 </a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="mobile-only dropdown-toggle"> <a href="#"> Sections<i class="icon-caret-down"></i> </a> <ul class="mobile-dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="mobile-only dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"><i class="icon-search"></i></a> <div class="mobile-dropdown mobile-search"> <form method="get" action="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"> <input name="q" type="text" value="" placeholder="SEARCH"> <button type="search" alt="Do Search"> <i class="icon-search"></i> </button> </form> </div> </li> <li class="mobile-only active" id="mobi_join"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://support.texastribune.org/"> Support Us </a> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="ad last"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/join/" title="Contribute Today" style="display: block; padding-top: .5em"> <div style="background:url(//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/membership/TT-support-us-front-page-btn120x60.jpg) no-repeat; width: 120px; height:60px; background-size: 120px 60px;"></div> </a> </div> <div class="below_nav"> <h1 id="logo"><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/logo.png" alt="The Texas Tribune"></a></h1> <time datetime="2015-06-27T05:44:25.895657">Saturday, June 27, 2015</time> </div> </header> </div> <div class="wrapper content-wrapper"> <div id="site_content" class="content "> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-8 main_column"> <article class="last"> <header> <h1>House Unanimously Backs Property Tax Break</h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/" rel="author">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Sun, 24 May 2015 20:48:23 -0500" title="2015-05-24 20:48"> May 24, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/comments/"><span class="value">11</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <aside> <ul class="social_links"> <li class="comment"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/comments/" title=""> <i class="icon-comments-alt"></i> <span>Comment</span> </a> </li> <li class="republish"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/content/republish/87231/"> <i class="icon-share"></i> <span>Republish</span> </a> </li> <li class="email"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1b24686e79717e786f264f737e3e292b4f7e637a683e292b4f6972796e757e213e292b53746e687e3e292b4e757a757276746e6877623e292b597a7870683e292b4bXroperty%20Tax%20Break&body=I%20read an article%20that%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20at%20The%20Texas%20Tribune:%20House%20Unanimously%20Backs%20Property%20Tax%20Break%2C%20by%20Aman Batheja.%20http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/%0DIn%20a%20136-1%20vote%2C%20the%20House%20favored%20Senate%20Bill%201%2C%20which%20would%20raise%20the%20homestead%20exemption%20from%20%2415%2C000%20to%20%2425%2C000%20if%20voters%20approve%20an%20amendment%20to%20the%20state%20Constitution%20in%20November." title="" class="email"> <i class="icon-envelope"></i> <span>Email</span> </a> </li> <li class="twitter"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://twitter.com/share?text=House Unanimously Backs Property Tax Break&url=http://trib.it/1BkNpI0&via=TexasTribune&related=TexasTribune,TribData"> <i class="icon-twitter"></i> <span>Tweet</span> </a> </li> <li class="facebook"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/"> <i class="icon-facebook"></i> <span>Recommend</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside> <div class="content"> <div class="media article_detail unprose"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/13/IMG_9993_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, on the House floor, May 13, 2015." class="lightbox"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/13/IMG_9993_jpg_312x1000_q100.jpg" alt="State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, on the House floor, May 13, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/13/IMG_9993_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, on the House floor, May 13, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Todd Wiseman</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, on the House floor, May 13, 2015.</div> </div> <p>After an hour of debate that showed a marked lack of enthusiasm for the measure, the Texas House voted unanimously Sunday evening on a property tax break worth about $125 to the average homeowner.</p> <p>In a 136-0 vote, the House favored <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/SB1/">Senate Bill 1</a>, which would raise the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000 if voters approve an amendment to the state constitution in November. The House also passed <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/SJR1/">Senate Joint Resolution 1</a>, a related measure, on a 138-0 vote.</p> <p>The measure is one part of a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/21/key-sticking-point-tax-cut-deal-cleared/">$3.8 billion tax relief package</a> agreed to by the House, Senate and Gov. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a> last week after months of debate between the chambers over whether to focus efforts on property taxes or the sales tax.</p> <p>The original Senate plan, from Senate Finance Chairwoman <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/jane-nelson/">Jane Nelson</a>, R-Flower Mound, would have pegged the homestead exemption rate to 25 percent of the state’s median home market value, which would have boosted it to about $33,000 in 2016. Lt. Gov. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/dan-patrick/">Dan Patrick</a>’s office has said that that would have saved the average Texas homeowner $207 in property taxes next year.</p> <p><span>House Ways and Means Chairman <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/dennis-bonnen/">Dennis Bonnen</a>, R-Angleton,</span> coolly laid out SB 1 on Sunday, making clear to fellow House members that he did not think it was the best approach to cutting taxes because the state would be on the hook for paying school districts to cover their losses in local tax revenue. For months, he has criticized the idea as misguided, predicting that most homeowners either won’t notice the tax cut on their property tax bills or will view it as underwhelming.</p><div class="ad_container ad_container--adify"> <div class="ad adunit mobile tablet standard" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_InsideStory_468x60"> </div> </div> <p>“We are lessening the pain to a small extent,” Bonnen said. At another point, he noted that the measure was “shifting the tax burden” rather than actually cutting taxes.</p> <p>Near the end of the debate, Bonnen told lawmakers that the bill was worth supporting as long as proponents didn’t oversell its impact.</p> <p>“Don’t make the mistake that I have made three times before,” Bonnen said. “Three times we’ve cut property taxes and I’ve gone home and said, ‘I’ve cut your taxes.’” He urged House members to tell constituents that lawmakers did what they could to address the issue but that local entities are where concerns about property taxes should really be focused.</p> <p>The measure now heads back to the Senate, where senators will have the choice of concurring with House amendments or calling a conference committee to hash out a compromise measure.</p> <p>Shortly after the House passed the Senate’s tax relief measures, the Senate passed the other part of the tax cut deal, Bonnen’s <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/HB32/">House Bill 32</a>, in a 24-6 vote. The bill cuts the franchise tax rate by 25 percent.</p><div class="ad_container ad_container--adify"> <div class="ad adunit mobile tablet standard" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_InsideStory2_468x60"> </div> </div> </div> <aside> <ul class="social_links"> <li class="comment"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/comments/" title=""> <i class="icon-comments-alt"></i> <span>Comment</span> </a> </li> <li class="republish"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/content/republish/87231/"> <i class="icon-share"></i> <span>Republish</span> </a> </li> <li class="email"> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5a65292f38303f392e670e323f7f686a0e3f223b297f686a0e2833382f343f607f686a12352f293f7f686a0f343b343337352f2936237f686a183b3931297f686a0aXroperty%20Tax%20Break&body=I%20read an article%20that%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20at%20The%20Texas%20Tribune:%20House%20Unanimously%20Backs%20Property%20Tax%20Break%2C%20by%20Aman Batheja.%20http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/%0DIn%20a%20136-1%20vote%2C%20the%20House%20favored%20Senate%20Bill%201%2C%20which%20would%20raise%20the%20homestead%20exemption%20from%20%2415%2C000%20to%20%2425%2C000%20if%20voters%20approve%20an%20amendment%20to%20the%20state%20Constitution%20in%20November." title="" class="email"> <i class="icon-envelope"></i> <span>Email</span> </a> </li> <li class="twitter"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://twitter.com/share?text=House Unanimously Backs Property Tax Break&url=http://trib.it/1BkNpI0&via=TexasTribune&related=TexasTribune,TribData"> <i class="icon-twitter"></i> <span>Tweet</span> </a> </li> <li class="facebook"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/24/house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-break/"> <i class="icon-facebook"></i> <span>Recommend</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside> <footer> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-6"> <aside class="sidebar_block related content_list"> <header> <h2>Related Content</h2> </header> <dl> <dt> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/21/key-sticking-point-tax-cut-deal-cleared/">State Leaders Reach Tax Cut Deal</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Thu, 21 May 2015 21:45:53 -0500" title="2015-05-21 21:45"> May 21, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/21/key-sticking-point-tax-cut-deal-cleared/comments/"><span class="value">20</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/19/senate-wants-property-tax-cut-year-house-wants-del/">Senate Wants Property Tax Cut This Year; House Wants to Delay It</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 19 May 2015 15:10:34 -0500" title="2015-05-19 15:10"> May 19, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/19/senate-wants-property-tax-cut-year-house-wants-del/comments/"><span class="value">6</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/25/house-enlarged-tax-relief-price-tag-400-million/">House Enlarged Tax Relief Price Tag by $400 Million</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Mon, 25 May 2015 15:36:32 -0500" title="2015-05-25 15:36"> May 25, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/25/house-enlarged-tax-relief-price-tag-400-million/comments/"><span class="value">8</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> </dl> </aside> </div> <div class="cell w-6"> <aside class="sidebar_block related"> <header> <h2>Related Tribpedia</h2> </header> <ul class="related topics indent sans-serif"> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/dennis-bonnen/">Dennis Bonnen</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/jane-nelson/">Jane Nelson</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/84th-legislature/">The 84th Legislature</a> </li> </ul> </aside> </div> </div> </footer> </article> <nav class="back_to_top"> <a href="#"><i class="icon-arrow-up"></i> Back To Top</a> </nav> </div> <div class=" rail cell w-4 hide-for-medium-down"> <section class="trib_newsletter"> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://texastribune.us3.list-manage2.com/subscribe/post?u=3d0ce87edeeb6df90043897db&id=68501b81bf" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" target="_blank" novalidate> <header> <h2>Sign Up for The Brief</h2> </header> <p>Our daily news summary</p> <div class="mc-field-group nowrap"> <input type="email" value="" name="EMAIL" class="input_neue required email" id="mce-EMAIL" placeholder="enter your email here"> <input type="submit" value="Submit" name="subscribe" id="mc-embedded-subscribe" class="btn_neue"> </div> <div style="position: absolute; left: -5000px;"><input type="text" name="b_3d0ce87edeeb6df90043897db_68501b81bf" tabindex="-1" value=""></div> </form> </section> <section class="ad_container sidebar_block"> <div class="sponsor_image_holder"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="300x250" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_ATF_RightRail1_MediumRectangle_300x250"> </div> </div> </section> <section class="sidebar_block content_list"> <header> <h1>New on the Trib</h1> </header> <dl> <dt> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/texas-same-sex-couples-begin-marry/">Ceremonies and Celebration as Marriages Begin</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ally-mutnick/">Ally Mutnick</a> and <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/sophia-bollag/">Sophia Bollag</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 26 Jun 2015 21:48:47 -0500" title="2015-06-26 21:48"> June 26, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/texas-same-sex-couples-begin-marry/comments/"><span class="value">10</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/video-gay-couples-line-up-for-marriage-licenses/">Video: Gay Couples Line Up for Marriage Licenses</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rocha-alana/">Alana Rocha</a> and <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/justin-dehn/">Justin Dehn</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 26 Jun 2015 18:35:22 -0500" title="2015-06-26 18:35"> June 26, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/video-gay-couples-line-up-for-marriage-licenses/comments/"><span class="value">3</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/future-benefits-same-sex-couples-unclear/">Benefits Should Follow Same-Sex Marriages</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/alexa-ura/">Alexa Ura</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 26 Jun 2015 18:23:08 -0500" title="2015-06-26 18:23"> June 26, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/future-benefits-same-sex-couples-unclear/comments/"><span class="value">11</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/analysis-distinction-between-law-and-sacrament/">Analysis: A Distinction Between Law and Sacrament</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 26 Jun 2015 15:34:06 -0500" title="2015-06-26 15:34"> June 26, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/analysis-distinction-between-law-and-sacrament/comments/"><span class="value">47</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> </dl> </section> <section class="ad_container sidebar_block"> <div class="sponsor_image_holder"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="300x250" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_BTF_RightRail2_MediumRectangle_300x250"> </div> </div> </section> <aside id="the_most" class="featurebox "> <header class="featurebox-header"> <h1><span>The</span>Most</h1> </header> <div class="featurebox-content tabs ui-tabs"> <ul class="ui-tabs-nav"> <li class="most_commented"> <a href="#most_commented">Commented</a> </li> <li class="most_viewed"> <a href="#most_viewed">Viewed</a> </li> </ul> <div id="most_commented" class="ui-tabs-panel ui-tabs-hide"> <ol> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/republicans-vow-religious-liberty-fight/">After Gay Marriage Ruling, Republicans Promise Religious Liberty Fight</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/25/uttt-poll-texans-wary-domestic-use-military/">UT/TT Poll: Texans Skittish About Domestic Use of U.S. Military</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/25/paxton-county-clerks-should-wait-direction-gay-mar/">Paxton to County Clerks: Wait for Direction on Gay Marriage Ruling</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/26/supreme-court-ruling-gay-marriage/">Supreme Court: Gay Marriage Bans Are Unconstitutional</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/24/hitting-washington-cartel-cruz-conjures-new-foil/">Hitting "Washington Cartel," Cruz Conjures New Foil</a> </li> </ol> </div> <div id="most_viewed" class="ui-tabs-panel ui-tabs-hide"> <ol> <li style="list-style: none;"> This data is currently unavailable. </li> </ol> </div> </div> <footer class="clearfix featurebox-footer"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="200x38" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_TheMostWidget_Bottom_Text_200x38"> </div> </footer> </aside> <section class="ad_container sidebar_block"> <div class="sponsor_image_holder"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="300x250" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_BTF_RightRail3_MediumRectangle_300x250"> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wrapper-r"> <footer id="site_footer" class="wrapper-r"> <div class="hide-for-medium-down"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryLanding_BTF_Footer_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> </div> <div id="footer" class="grid"> <dl id="staff_writers" class="cell w-3"> <dt>Writers</dt> <div class="cell w-6"> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/becca-aaronson/">Becca Aaronson</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/julian-aguilar/">Juli谩n Aguilar</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/sophia-bollag/">Sophia Bollag</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/mallory-busch/">Mallory Busch</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/liz-crampton/">Liz Crampton</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/annie-daniel/">Annie Daniel</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/justin-dehn/">Justin Dehn</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rodney-gibbs/">Rodney Gibbs</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/john-jordan/">John Jordan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/terri-langford/">Terri Langford</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jeremy-lin/">Jeremy Lin</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/abby-livingston/">Abby Livingston</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/corrie-maclaggan/">Corrie MacLaggan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jim-malewitz/">Jim Malewitz</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jolie-mccullough/">Jolie McCullough</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ayan-mittra/">Ayan Mittra</a> </dd> </div> <div class="cell w-6"> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-murphy/">Ryan Murphy</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ally-mutnick/">Ally Mutnick</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-muto/">David Muto</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-pasztor/">David Pasztor</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/emily-ramshaw/">Emily Ramshaw</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rocha-alana/">Alana Rocha</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/polo-rocha/">Polo Rocha</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jay-root/">Jay Root</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/neena-satija/">Neena Satija</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/patrick-svitek/">Patrick Svitek</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/alexa-ura/">Alexa Ura</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/edgar-walters/">Edgar Walters</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/matthew-watkins/">Matthew Watkins</a> </dd> </div> </dl> <div id="footer_topics" class="cell w-3"> <h6>Sections</h6> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </div> <dl id="offsite_outlets" class="cell w-3"> <dt>TT Social Media</dt> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://facebook.com/texastribune" title="Facebook" class="external"><span class="favicon facebook"></span>Facebook</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://twitter.com/texastribune" title="Twitter" class="external"><span class="favicon twitter"></span>Twitter</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://youtube.com/user/thetexastribune" title="YouTube" class="external"><span class="favicon youtube"></span>YouTube</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://instagram.com/texas_tribune" title="Instagram" class="external"><span class="favicon instagram"></span>Instagram</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://www.linkedin.com/company/texas-tribune" title="LinkedIn" class="external"><span class="favicon linkedin"></span>LinkedIn</a> </dd> <dd class="hidden"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/https://plus.google.com/116406259333166116089" class="external" rel="publisher">Google+</a> </dd> </dl> <ul id="footer_nav" class="cell w-3"> <li>© 2015 The Texas Tribune</li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/about/" title="About Us">About Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/support-us/donors-and-members/" title="Who Funds Us?">Who Funds Us?</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/terms-of-service/" title="Terms of Service">Terms of Service</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/republishing-guidelines/" title="Republishing Guidelines">Republishing Guidelines</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/ethics/" title="Code of Ethics">Code of Ethics</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/privacy/" title="Privacy Policy">Privacy Policy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b0d9dec1c5d9c2d9d5c3f0c4d5c8d1c3c4c2d9d2c5ded59edfc2d7" title="Contact Us">Contact Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/corrections/" title="Corrections">Corrections</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/feeds/" title="Feeds">Feeds</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/mobile/" title="Mobile">Mobile</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/advertise/" class="advertise">Advertise</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150627104426/http://www.texastribune.org/signup/" title="Newsletter Signup">Newsletter Signup</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://support.texastribune.org/" title="Donate" class="donate">Donate</a> </li> </ul> </div> </footer> </div> <div class="hide-for-medium-down"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="1x1" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_Invisible_1x1"> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426js_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/COMPRESSED/js/38cc1e8308b2.js"></script> <script> tt.ads.addTarget("content", "story"); tt.ads.addTarget("slug", "house-unanimously-backs-property-tax-bre"); tt.ads.addTarget("tribpedia", ["dennis-bonnen", "jane-nelson", "84th-legislature"]); tt.ads.addTarget("sections", ["front-page/", "government/legislature/", "economy/"]); try { tt.ads.addTarget("is_member", "no"); tt.ads.addTarget("logged_in", "no"); var tt = tt || {}; tt.username = ''; } catch(e) {} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> window._tpm = window._tpm || []; window._tpm['paywallID'] = '36783210'; window._tpm['trackPageview'] = true; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426js_/http://code.tinypass.com/tpl/d1/tpm.js"></script> <script> (function(){ function loadAddThis() { var addthis = document.createElement('script'); addthis.src = document.location.protocol+'//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-53beb39e1b9725fb&domready=1'; addthis.type = 'text/javascript'; addthis.async = true; var at = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; at.parentNode.insertBefore(addthis, at); } window.onload(loadAddThis()); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150627104426js_/http://bit.ly/javascript-api.js?version=latest&login=texastribune&apiKey=R_6f6057d6b4eb2cded750a1bfde821d16"></script> <div id="parsely-root" style="display: none"> <div id="parsely-cfg" data-parsely-site="texastribune.org"></div> </div> <script> (function(s, p, d) { var h=d.location.protocol, i=p+"-"+s, e=d.getElementById(i), r=d.getElementById(p+"-root"), u=h==="https:"?"d1z2jf7jlzjs58.cloudfront.net" :"static."+p+".com"; if (e) return; e = d.createElement(s); e.id = i; e.async = true; e.src = h+"//"+u+"/p.js"; r.appendChild(e); })("script", "parsely", document); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _qevents.push( { qacct:"p-f74d4O38hiiiM"} ); </script> <noscript> <div style="display: none;"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426im_/http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-f74d4O38hiiiM.gif" height="1" width="1" alt="Quantcast"/> </div> </noscript> <script type="text/javascript"> var _sf_async_config={}; /** CONFIGURATION START **/ _sf_async_config.uid = 14324; _sf_async_config.domain = 'texastribune.org'; if (window.tt && tt.currentPage) { if (tt.currentPage.sections) { _sf_async_config.sections = tt.currentPage.sections.join(','); } if (tt.currentPage.authors) { _sf_async_config.authors = tt.currentPage.authors.join(','); } else if (tt.currentPage.authorsText) { _sf_async_config.authors = tt.currentPage.authorsText; } } /** CONFIGURATION END **/ (function(){ function loadChartbeat() { window._sf_endpt=(new Date()).getTime(); var e = document.createElement('script'); e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript'); e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); e.setAttribute('src', (('https:' == document.location.protocol) ? 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/https://a248.e.akamai.net/chartbeat.download.akamai.com/102508/' : 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150627104426/http://static.chartbeat.com/') + 'js/chartbeat.js'); document.body.appendChild(e); } var oldonload = window.onload; window.onload = (typeof window.onload != 'function') ? loadChartbeat : function() { oldonload(); loadChartbeat(); }; })(); </script> <script> (function() { jQuery.scrollDepth(); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ (function(){try{var s,a,i,j,r,c,l=document.getElementsByTagName("a"),t=document.createElement("textarea");for(i=0;l.length-i;i++){try{a=l[i].getAttribute("href");if(a&&a.indexOf("/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection") > -1 && (a.length > 28)){s='';j=27+ 1 + a.indexOf("/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection");if (a.length > j) {r=parseInt(a.substr(j,2),16);for(j+=2;a.length>j&&a.substr(j,1)!='X';j+=2){c=parseInt(a.substr(j,2),16)^r;s+=String.fromCharCode(c);}j+=1;s+=a.substr(j,a.length-j);}t.innerHTML=s.replace(/</g,"<").replace(/>/g,">");l[i].setAttribute("href","mailto:"+t.value);}}catch(e){}}}catch(e){}})(); /* ]]> */ </script> </body> </html>