The legislature limits annual property tax increases for local operating budgets because local governments experiencing growth should rely upon new taxpayers to pay for their own services. Mayors and city councils shouldn’t have to go to the legislature for minor changes that should be handled locally; adding an extra layer of bureaucratic red tape only limits the potential for constructive change. Texas’ investment in the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has allowed our state to become the second largest public funder of cancer research, behind only the National Cancer Institute. On Wednesday, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility released recommendations for voters on the 10 proposed amendments, which range from a prohibition on a state income tax to allowing law enforcement animals to be transferred … Monday, October 28th 2019. PROPOSITION 1: Permitting a person to hold more than one office as a municipal judge at the same time. Pratt’s recommendations on Texas Constitutional Amendments 2019 October 23, 2019 by Pratt on Texas 2 Comments I recommend voting AGAINST propositions 2, 6, and 8. Through multiple media formats, we educate and inspire Texans to exercise effective citizenship. Holding each and every entity accountable is difficult even for the most active citizen. Also, cities are abusing Certificates of Obligation – which do not require voter approval – and should only be used in emergencies such as natural disasters. Citizens have little recourse when it comes to paying the taxes decided on by their local officials — and none whatsoever when it comes to how that money is spent. They lobby your state legislators to oppose things such as protections from tax increases, ballot transparency initiatives, and annexation authority just to name a few. Only New York has more local debt, per person, than Texas. Here are our recommendations on some of the major ballot items Tarrant County voters will see. What it means: CPRIT will be authorized to spend additional taxpayer dollars. Existing residents should not be tax-gouged each year for the same services, without an option to vote on the tax increase. The Texas Constitution is a patchwork of amendments — 498 times since it was ratified in 1876 — and voters on Nov. 5 will be asked to add 10 more amendments to the state’s guiding document. Taxpayers concerned about the exploding growth of government should tell their lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment strengthening the existing state expenditure limit. Appraisal districts are comprised of appointees from those very same taxing entities, rather than taxpayers, giving the appraisal districts a perverse incentive to artificially increase revenue via appraisal increases any time those taxing entities don’t want to be held accountable for raising taxes. We recommend these 7 amendments to the Texas constitution Three propositions do not get our approval. Placing a referendum before voters required a simple majority vote (50%+1) in each legislative chamber. This amendment would change that. Supporters say: Proposition 1 would make it easier for all cities to have qualified municipal court judges. Ballot wording doesn’t allow space to fully inform a voter on the specific government action. Health experts say that won’t be viable anytime soon. And third, while all ad valorem taxation changes require a constitutional amendment, our legislators need to fond ways to govern precious metals without asking voters to change the constitution. Proposition 5 would dedicate revenue from taxes on sporting goods to this purpose. Additionally, the appraised value of a home may increase by up to 10% each year, even when population and inflation growth rates are much lower. These judge… The net effect is that less than half of all appropriated funds are actually subject to a cap. Here is a recap of the American-Statesman Editorial Board's recommendations on the propositions facing voters, with links to the full editorials on each topic. Instead of working with their local pension board for temporary resolutions, they either have to go to the legislature for changes or redirect tax dollars from other local projects. The state should return control to local entities, as long as the local process proves to be accountable and transparent to taxpayers and municipal employees. No statewide funding mechanism exists to help cities and counties prepare for flooding. How it reads: “The constitutional amendment to allow the transfer of a law enforcement animal to a qualified caretaker in certain circumstances.”. Had such a limit been implemented in 2004, Texas taxpayers would have saved an estimated $22 billion. Under that process, agencies begin at their previous appropriation amount and are provided increases to account for rising costs, population, etc. The true need for so-called “ethics” laws stems from a growing public understanding that many elected officials use their offices to enrich themselves rather than serve the citizens. Texas Election 2019 – Constitutional Amendment Propositions – Study Guide. TFR Stance: Support Proposition 9Our Reasoning: We oppose any form of ad valorem taxes. Voters should pay attention at the polls because the ballot language is confusing. Proposition 5: “The constitutional amendment dedicating the revenue received from the existing state and use taxes that are imposed on sporting goods to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission to protect Texas’ natural areas, water, quality, and history by acquiring, … The Legislature should continue working towards ways to buy down the maintenance and operations (M&O) portion of school district property taxes with state funds and eventually fund it entirely through sales taxes. 2019 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS RECOMMENDATIONS BY TEXANS FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY PROPOSITION 1 What it means: In Texas, a person can serve in more than one municipal judge position, assuming the person was appointed to each of those positions. Unfortunately, no such freedom exists when local governments decide to use your tax dollars to lobby the state legislature. CPRIT funding has supported more than 100 clinical trials, lured about a dozen companies to the state, and laid the groundwork for billions of dollars in follow-on investing. In the hands of unions, the funds are primarily utilized to advocate against business-friendly, free market, and pro-taxpayer legislation. In addition to enabling waste, fraud, and abuse, the process is also rigid and slow to adapt. Anything that might prevent these entities from taking more of your hard earned tax dollars — they will spend your money to defeat. TFR Stance: Oppose Proposition 8Our Reasoning: State-subsidized debt serves as a disincentive to properly prioritizing spending and distorts market forces. That fund has performed like gangbusters with the oil boom, but school children haven’t shared in the bounty because the state constitution caps the amount that can be transferred from the Public School Fund, which manages the land assets, into the Available School Fund, which distributes money to school districts. An exterior view of Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Empower Texans is a non-profit service organization. TFR Stance: Oppose Proposition 2Our Reasoning: State-subsidized debt serves as a disincentive to properly prioritizing spending and distorts market forces. How it reads: “The constitutional amendment permitting a person to hold more than one office as a municipal judge at the same time.” What it means: In Texas, a person can serve in more than one municipal judge position, assuming the person was appointed to each of those positions. Your 2019 voter guide to state constitutional amendments on the ballot in Texas Texas voters can vote for or against 10 amendments to the state’s constitution Nov. 5. Texas Public Policy Foundation's 2019 Guide to Constitutional Amendments in Texas; Empower Texans' 2019 Constitutional Amendment Recommendations; Texas Tribune Article Summarizing the Amendments; Proposition 1. These dollars would allow the state to improve public health and provide for economic development. See which of the 10 proposals on voters approved or rejected. Voters should be given more than a one-sentence description on the ballot when considering hundreds of projects that cost hundreds of millions of dollars or more in new debt. A “yes” vote means you want to make it tougher to create a state income tax. First, there is not currently a property tax on gold. How it reads: “The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the flood infrastructure fund to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects.”. What it means: Sales taxes on sporting goods will be dedicated to wildlife and nature preservation. Proposition 4 makes it harder for a future legislature to impose an economically destructive income tax on our state. Good reforms in this area include ending the revolving door in which elected officials leave office and immediately go to work as hired gun lobbyists. But Proposition 4 would unnecessarily require a supermajority (two-thirds). The Texas Bullion Depository is a unique, state-operated storage for privately-owned precious metals opening next year. Uniform election dates, greater ballot transparency, local debt limits, and fewer overlapping local entities will help Texans seeking to address our local debt crisis. Each Texan currently owes local governments a total of roughly $12,500 in debt payments, the second-highest amount of any state in America. PUBLISHED 6:03 AM CT Nov. 06, 2019 PUBLISHED 6:03 AM CST Nov. 06, 2019. Current law allows local officials to hold the “needs” of a community hostage to unnecessary “wants,” by lumping hundreds of unrelated projects into a single, one-sentence, all-or-nothing proposition. - 7:00p.m. In a free-market system, customers are often loathe to spend money at businesses that reinvest their profits towards political aspirations they find abhorrent. Dallas Morning News editorials are written by the paper's Editorial Board and serve as the voice and view of the paper. These efforts to stifle speech must be fought at every turn. Police dogs generally live with their handlers while they’re in service. What is most egregious about the practice of tax-funded lobbying is the policy goals these lobbyists seek. 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