Senator Bettencourt’s Constitutional Amendments are 3 of the top 4 Props with Voters
HOUSTON, TX — Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, Senator Paul Bettencourt
(R-Houston), released the following statement last night after the passage of record homestead
exemption Propositions 11 and 13, which he authored during the 89th Regular Legislative Session
under Senate Bills 4 and 23, including authoring Proposition 10, which received the highest
approval passage of all 17 constitutional amendments at 89% to exempt homes destroyed by fire.
There are seven other tax-related measures passed by Texas voters in the Nov. 4, 2025 election:
“Last night, tax policy issues like Propositions 11 and 13 drove voter turnout in this
election. Clearly, Propositions 11 and 13, which received a 77%+ and 79%+ supermajority
of voter support respectively, increase the homestead exemption for all 5.7 million
homesteads and as priorities of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, it’s no surprise they passed the
Legislature unanimously.
These measures will provide much-needed school property tax cuts for Texas taxpayers.
As author, coauthor, and sponsor of many of the tax-cut measures on the ballot, it’s great
to see these common-sense constitutional amendments gain this kind of support from the
public and I’m very happy that Texans again voted for record homestead exemption
increases, and supported other bills authored by my Senate and House colleagues!
The bellwether local issue last night was Proposition Q, which lost two-to-one in the City
of Austin, not surprisingly, since it would have resulted in a 20% property tax rate increase
within just one year. Notably, the four major property tax exemption propositions got the
highest voter rate approval, ranking above Proposition 16 in fifth place at 72%, which
required citizenship to vote in Texas elections.”
Senator Bettencourt, who has long championed property-tax relief legislation and fiscal policy
reforms to limit excessive taxation and ensure local-government accountability, emphasized that
tonight’s results demonstrate the success of ongoing efforts by the Texas Legislature to
strengthen the state’s economic foundation while protecting taxpayers. Once the election results
are certified and the amendments officially proclaimed, Propositions 11 and 13 will take effect
immediately for Property Tax Year 2025. Of the remaining tax-related amendments, Propositions
5, 7, 9, 10, and 17 apply to Tax Year 2026, while Propositions 2, 6, and 8 become effective upon
certification (not earlier than 15 and not later than 30 days after Election Day) or on the date
specified in the measure. Together, these amendments phase in over the next two tax years.
