Fellow East Texans,
In case you hadn’t heard - we’ve got another election on our hands! In fact - we’re halfway through early voting already, which is why it’s so important that if you’re receiving this missive and haven’t voted yet, PLEASE KEEP READING.
The truth is that this election might be flying under the radar since there are no major races here in Texas, but it still deserves your attention due to the several significant constitutional amendments that are on the ballot.
Securing our water with Prop 4 is at the top of my watchlist, but below my overview of that proposition are details on the other constitutional amendments as well.
Please read on and get out to vote if you haven’t already!
The Conservative Case for Prop 4
As I have communicated from the beginning of my political service, I believe that when boiled down to the basics, the role that government should have in our lives is very limited. It should be concerned with providing safety for its citizens, preserving individual liberties, and, finally, providing an infrastructure for the free market to succeed.
The last part is key - as conservatives we believe in free markets, but we understand that there are certain infrastructure needs that ought to be developed and maintained outside of the private sector (thereby preventing monopolies that take advantage of consumers). I believe that this applies to issues like our electric grid, our bridges and highways, as well as our water infrastructure… which brings us to Proposition 4.
In our modern age, it is not only easy but natural for us to take our water infrastructure for granted. Simply twist the handle at your sink and out will flow clean, treated water. This of course is right and good, and our communities, water utility systems, and the state as a whole should be making every effort to ensure this remains the case.
The challenge we face is that much of our infrastructure is incredibly dated, and systems in both rural and urban areas are deteriorating and failing. Pipelines are leaking significant amounts of water, and all while cities are claiming they’re running out of water and need to source new water - either from our East Texas region or from out of state.
An additional challenge is that the Texas Miracle we have all experienced for the last 20-30 years has impacted all of our infrastructure. We’re the 8th largest economy in the world, and as we continue to grow on a daily basis, it’s time that we invest significantly in our water infrastructure.
Prop 4 on the ballot this election will secure funding needed to take steps toward providing the infrastructural foundation we need in our water supply.
It’s important to note this does NOT create any new taxes. Instead, it commits up to $1 billion per year in our existing sales tax revenue over the next 20 years, locking that in as a top priority for future spending.
This dedicated revenue stream will help provide for infrastructure projects that take years if not decades to execute. In turn, this will help our communities across the state to address the needs for water proactively, which is much more fiscally responsible than kicking the can down the road to a point when costs will be higher. Waiting to make improvements will only lead to higher costs due to inflation and a demand for a tighter turnaround when the situation is more dire.
Even more importantly for East Texas, creating a source of water funding for projects across the state will protect our water here.
Without funding for projects like desalination plants and other novel methods of producing fresh water, the booming suburbs will keep gunning for our land and groundwater all the more aggressively.
The funding under Prop 4 was crafted carefully so that if passed, it has safeguards in place to prevent money from flowing toward the projects that are bad for us like unapproved reservoir projects and plans to export our groundwater.
If we want to secure water for the future - and keep our water in East Texas safe - passing Prop 4 is the most important next step we can take.
Other Propositions
There’s a long list of constitutional amendments, but hopefully you’ll find these brief summaries below helpful! If you want some more detailed information on the amendments, check out this guide from the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Prop 1 establishes special state funds to support land and infrastructure improvements for the Texas State Technical College System.
Prop 2 bans any state tax on capital gains.
Prop 3 allows—and in some cases, mandates—judges to deny bail for people charged with serious crimes, such as murder or sex-trafficking, if evidence shows they are a danger or flight risk.
Prop 4 dedicates up to $1 billion annually in existing sales and use tax revenues to fund water infrastructure improvements.
Prop 5 exempts retail animal feed from business personal property taxes.
Prop 6 bans any state tax on stock trades or occupational taxes on financial brokers.
Prop 7 extends property tax relief to surviving spouses of veterans who died from service-related conditions.
Prop 8 bans estate, inheritance, and gift taxes in Texas.
Prop 9 exempts up to $125,000 of business personal property from local property taxes to help small businesses.
Prop 10 allows for a temporary property tax exemption for homes completely destroyed by fires.
Prop 11 increases the additional school homestead exemption for elderly and disabled homeowners from $10,000 to $60,000. If approved with Prop 13, the total homestead exemption for elderly and disabled homeowners would be $200,000.
Prop 12 expands the State Commission on Judicial Conduct with more members and stronger powers with the aim of improving court fairness.
Prop 13 increases the homestead exemption for school property taxes from $100,000 to $140,000.
Prop 14 establishes the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas with an initial $3 billion in funding.
Prop 15 codifies in the Texas Constitution that parents are the primary decision makers for their children.
Prop 16 codifies in the Texas Constitution that only U.S. citizens may vote in Texas elections.
Prop 17 exempts property tax increases on property in border counties caused by building border security improvements.