AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today following Gov. Abbott’s call for a new special session:

“Over the last week, there have been many discussions between the Texas Senate and House to find a deal on the largest property tax cut in Texas history. In today’s statement, the Governor said that during the regular session, the House and Senate both agreed on cutting school district property tax rates. He is correct. However, he did not mention that during the regular session, both the House and Senate also unanimously voted for a $100,000 homestead exemption.

“The Senate will continue to support cutting the tax rate through compression. We will insist upon a homestead exemption, giving homeowners a $1,250 to $1,450 annual tax cut as opposed to receiving only $740 without a homestead exemption. We will pass the same bill that we passed to the House last week that cuts school property taxes for the average homeowner by nearly 43%, almost double the tax cut one would receive with only compression.

“Regarding the call to pass legislation to eliminate school property taxes all together, to do so would require increasing the sales tax dramatically, which clearly has no support from the legislature or the people. The only other pathway is using current sales tax dollars, which can never be achieved. The Governor mentions that cutting the tax rate is a lasting tax cut. It is not. As soon as sales tax flattens or declines in any year, property tax rates would skyrocket. The only tax cut that is lasting is a homestead exemption, which is locked into the Texas Constitution.

“Gov. Abbott’s call for a new special session is a renewed opportunity for the Texas Senate and House to deliver vital property tax relief as quickly as possible. The Texas Senate will continue to fight for homeowners, and we look forward to working with the House to pass property tax relief legislation in the coming weeks.”