With Republicans’ sustained grip on Texas, what may be ahead for the Legislature?
READ MORE
Results from Tarrant County and Texas elections
The latest coverage and results from Tarrant County and Texas.
Expand All
Republicans Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick successfully held onto their statewide offices as governor and lieutenant governor, and the Texas House and Senate are set to remain under GOP control, setting up an opportunity for Republicans to continue pushing conservative priorities when they convene in Austin.
Last time lawmakers met, they passed permitless carry, an election bill, opposed “critical race theory” in schools and restricted abortion access. The Texas Legislature is back in session on Jan. 10, and after Tuesday’s election, it’s likely their conservative push will continue when lawmakers return to the Texas Capitol.
In the Senate, Republicans picked up Senate District 10 in North Texas, which was redrawn so it favors Republicans. Rep. Phil King of Weatherford, a Republican, will replace Sen. Beverly Powell, a Burleson Democrat. In the House, Republicans also remain in the majority.
“What I saw in Texas was a very, very strong affirmation that people want us to keep doing what we’ve been trying to do,” said King, who has served in the House since 1999.
A spokesperson for Abbott declined to comment on his legislative priorities, but while on the campaign trail he focused on the economy, border security and policing. Responding to a question about presidential ambitions on a Wednesday call with reporters, his campaign offered a glimpse into what may be ahead for his next term as governor.
“We have a huge session,” said Abbott’s chief strategist and consultant Dave Carney. “We have a massive agenda in terms of property tax, school choice ... and securing the border.”
An interview request emailed to Patrick’s campaign was not immediately returned.
Here are some issues that could be up for debate when the next legislative session begins on Jan. 10.
Property tax reduction and the economy
Lawmakers are expected to return to the Texas Capitol in January with a $27 billion surplus to spend. With that much money to work with, it’s likely legislators will try and find ways to reduce property taxes — though rates are set at a local level.
Abbott has promised to use half of the state’s surplus dollars to reduce property taxes.
“We can reduce the school property taxes while fully funding schools by using the budget surplus of $27 billion to pay for it,” Abbott said in his candidate questionnaire to the Star-Telegram. “We will deliver the biggest property tax cut in the history of Texas by taking half of that surplus and giving it back to Texans.”
Lowering property taxes has been supported by a number of Republicans and Democrats throughout election season. It’s part of a larger focus on the economy — including being business friendly — that King supports. He hopes a significant amount of the surplus will be used to buy down school property taxes.
“What form we do that in is really open for discussion,” he said.
Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., a Fort Worth Democrat, advocates for reforms to the appraisal process.
“High labor does account for inflation,” said Romero, who ran unopposed. “It’s inflation of labor cost, which means your house is appraised based upon what it costs to build it, and you just cannot build a house the way you could before.”
Salman Bhojani, who will represent House District 92 in North Texas, said the economy, small businesses and attracting good jobs are priorities.
“I’m going to tray to focus on practical, kitchen table issues like I talked about — economy, health care and education, because those are things that we can somehow agree on. There’s some commonalities, and we want to focus on those as opposed to really fighting for things that we know that it’s not going to be a starter in a Republican controlled state Legislature.”
Another new North Texas senator, Rep. Tan Parker, who will replace retiring Sen. Jane Nelson, named property tax relief and transparency in appraisals as top issues in a Star-Telegram candidate questionnaire. He said the Legislature must also fight for “fiscally responsible spending to safeguard the Texas economy.”
School choice and education funding
Education funding may be a prominent conversation when lawmakers convene, including as it relates to school choice and vouchers.
Abbott’s campaign has told the Star-Telegram that Abbott is in favor of “restoring parents as the primary decision-makers over their child’s education and health care, while also fully funding public education and allowing funding to follow the student.” Vouchers have been a divisive issue among Republicans.
Patrick, who as lieutenant governor serves as the president of the Senate, has been a vocal supporter of school choice.
“I’m very supportive of having parents have a stronger role in where their kids go to school and what their children are taught,” King said. “Now what that looks like at the end of the day, I don’t know. But... parents have made it really, really clear that they want options, and we’re going to have to respond to that.”
Romero was confident vouchers will come up when lawmakers meet.
“We’re going to be talking about taking care of teachers a little bit more, but as we talk about teachers there’s no question that they are adamant about vouchers and continuing to defund our schools,” Romero said.
Paying teachers well and career and technical education are focuses for Bhojani.
Policies affecting transgender Texans
Limiting access to gender-affirming health care for transgender kids has become a prominent social issue among many Republicans in recent years. Related policies ultimately failed when lawmakers met in 2021, but University of Houston Political Science Professor Brandon Rottinghaus predicted transgender politics will be at the forefront in 2023: “This has been the number one social issue that the Republican Party has been pushing, and they’ve gotten a lot of traction out of it,” Rottinghaus said.
“This is about protecting children,” Abbott said in the Star-Telegram’s candidate questionnaire. “A minor doesn’t have the mental capacity to make permanent life-altering decisions by mutilating their sex organs. Physically changing the sex of a minor child should not be allowed.”
In recent years, there’s also been a growing focus among Republican leaders on protecting kids from “indoctrination” and “sexualization,” including pushes to limit access to books related to LGBTQ issues.
“Let me tell you something, our schools are for education not indoctrination. We got to get all this sexualization of our kids out of our schools, all the critical race theory out of our schools,” Abbott said at a Nov. 1 campaign stop in Fort Worth.
Republican Nate Schatzline replaces Rep. Matt Krause, who didn’t seek releection. In his candidate questionnaire Schatzline said “removing indoctrination from schools” was a top issue.
Immigration
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 10:24 AM.
