Weighing pros, cons of proposed state amendments
On Tuesday, November 7, Texans will vote on 14 proposed amendments to the state constitution.
On September 14 the Kendall County Republican Party held a forum to review seven of the amendments. Participants joined in a straw poll after each presentation to get the pulse of the party on these amendments.
I present the propositions with a pro/ con comment, including the strength of each vote.
Unanimous for ( 100%); Strongly Favor (+75%); Favor (+ 50%); Oppose (+ 25%); Strongly Oppose (-25%) I also summarize the straw poll results at the end of the article.
• Proposition 1 (HJR 126): Protecting the right to engage in farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture, and wildlife management.
Pro: The proposed amendment officially recognizes the authority of the state or a political subdivision to regulate protected activities in order to preserve or conserve the state’s natural resources.
Con: By using vague terminology such as “generally accepted practices” and “wildlife management practices,” the proposed amendment will lead to confusion or abuses by certain entities.
Kendall Straw Poll Prop 1: Strongly Favor.
• Proposition 2 (SJR 64): Authorizing a local option exemption from ad valorem taxation by a county or municipality of all or part of the appraised value of real property used to operate a child-care facility.
Pro: Providing local governments with the authority to offer a tax exemption for property used to operate an eligible child-care facility may free up resources that could be used to hire and retain staff, which would help to reduce the prevalence of child-care deserts in Texas communities.
Con: Tax exemption authority can be easily abused by local governments and recipients. It may be interpreted as a government handout of taxpayer funds.
Straw Poll Prop 2: Strongly Oppose.
• Proposition 3 (HJR 132): Prohibiting the imposition of an individual wealth or net worth tax, including a tax on the difference between the assets and liabilities of an individual or family.
Pro: Wealth taxes discourage economic innovation and investment and can lead to stagnation.
Con: This measure is unnecessary because a wealth tax has not been proposed in Texas.
Straw Poll Prop 3: Unanimous for.
• Proposition 4 (HJR 2 from the second special session): Property Tax Relief. Addressed in previous Boerne Star Write of Center column August 6, 2023.
Straw Poll Prop 4: Unanimous for.
• Proposition 5 (HJR 3): Relating to the Texas University Fund, which provides funding to certain institutions of higher education to achieve national prominence as major research universities and drive the state economy.
Pro: Providing a predictable and sustainable source of funding for high-quality research at universities in Texas that do not have access to the Permanent University Fund will help ensure that the future workforce needs of the state are met and that the state’s economy continues to grow.
Con: Concern about the use of money from the economic stabilization fund (often referred to as the “rainy day fund”) to fund higher education initiatives since that fund was not designed for such purposes.
Straw Poll Prop 5: Strongly Oppose.
• Proposition 6 (SJR 75): Creating the Texas water fund to assist in financing water projects in this state.
Pro: The creation of the Texas water fund would further the state’s investment in water infrastructure and would give the Texas Water Development Board flexibility in allocating financial assistance through existing and newly created funds to address issues with existing water infrastructure and support new water supply projects across the state for years to come.
Con: The Texas Water Development Board should be able to address the state’s water needs without the creation of new programs.
Straw Poll Prop 6: Oppose.
• Proposition 9 (HJR 2 from the regular session): Authorizing the 88th Legislature to provide a cost-of-living adjustment to certain annuitants of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
Pro: Funding a COLA for TRS retirees will provide the state’s retired teachers with much-needed relief and is a wise use of the state’s surplus revenue.
Con: No opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment was expressed during legislative consideration of the proposal.
Straw Poll Prop 9: Strongly Favor.
Well, there you have it, the pulse of the Kendall County Republicans on these seven amendments is founded on fiscal conservatism. They want to reduce taxes and have accountable spending.
Their desire is for any elected representative who wants to spend their tax dollars, to vote on the distribution of funds and not leave it to some bureaucratic state agency to decide.
Our next Constitutional Election Forum will be Thursday, October 5, at the Longhorn Cafe (upstairs), starting at 6:30 p.m. Hope to see you there.
Buck Rogers, retired U.S. Air Force colonel, is Kendall County GOP chairman.
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