As Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, I have led the effort to deliver historic property tax relief for Texans, returning more than $51 billion to property owners in the most recent legislative session alone. This represents the largest property tax relief package in Texas history, made possible by responsible budgeting and strong conservative leadership.

Our approach focused on returning surplus state revenue directly to taxpayers. A major component was compressing school district tax rates for all property owners, which means the State now pays a larger share of the cost of public education, reducing what homeowners and businesses owe in local school property taxes. Since I became Chairman, we have significantly expanded compression to provide meaningful, long-term relief across Texas.

We also delivered substantial savings by increasing the homestead exemption. During my tenure as Chairman, the exemption has increased from $40,000 to $140,000 for all homeowners, and up to $200,000 for seniors and Texans with disabilities. This means the first $140,000 to $200,000 of a home’s value is exempt from school property taxes—putting real money back in the pockets of families, retirees, and Texans on fixed incomes.

In addition, we advanced critical reforms to the property appraisal system to increase transparency and accountability and protect property owners from runaway appraisals. These reforms include adding three elected members to each Central Appraisal District Board of Directors, chosen in nonpartisan elections, giving taxpayers a direct voice in a system that directly impacts their tax bills.

Protecting Taxpayers

During the regular session, more than 500 bills were referred to the House Ways & Means Committee. As Chair, I ensured the committee met weekly to carefully review legislation affecting Texas taxpayers and our economy.

In addition to delivering historic property tax relief, we advanced and passed key legislation to protect taxpayers and strengthen our economy, including:

• Providing meaningful relief for small businesses by eliminating the intangible personal property tax and increasing the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000. In Texas, businesses are taxed not only on their buildings but also on tangible assets like machinery, equipment, and fixtures. Raising this exemption reduced unnecessary paperwork and lowered the tax burden on small business owners, allowing them to reinvest in their businesses, employees, and local communities.
• Banning new taxes on Texans, including a state income tax, wealth tax, death tax, and financial transaction tax to ensure Texas remains a low-tax state that rewards hard work and economic growth.
• Increasing transparency and accountability by creating a centralized database of local tax rates and bond information, giving Texans the tools they need to better understand local government debt and tax burdens.

Over the interim, the Ways & Means Committee will continue holding hearings to prepare for the next legislative session. I remain focused on promoting economic growth, advancing smart and innovative tax reform, and ensuring we fully fund critical priorities like education and public safety without raising taxes on Texas families.

Each Legislative Session, your Texas Legislature crafts the state’s two-year budget with a focus on meeting the needs of Texans while keeping spending disciplined and responsible. In the 89th Session, we passed a $338.2 billion budget, made up of $149.2 billion in state general revenue, $100.9 billion in federal funds, and the remainder from other dedicated sources.

This budget stays well below constitutional spending limits and grows at a rate slower than population and inflation. It provides record funding for public schools, health care, public safety, and infrastructure—all while delivering more than $50 billion in property tax cuts and reducing “Robin Hood” recapture payments.

For our schools, the budget invests a record-setting $75.1 billion in public education, including $8.5 billion in new, targeted education reforms, an additional $2 billion in recapture reduction, $4 billion for teacher and staff pay raises, and $430 million for school safety improvements.

Beyond education, key investments include $3 billion for border security, $1 billion in higher wages for personal care attendants, $252 million for women’s health and maternal safety, $30 billion for transportation projects across the state, and $2.5 billion for water and flood infrastructure.

This budget reflects our shared priorities—strong schools, safe communities, better infrastructure, and meaningful tax relief—while keeping Texas on sound financial footing.

The Texas Legislature continued its strong commitment to public education this session by investing a historic $8.5 billion in additional funding for our public schools through House Bill 2, which I was proud to coauthor. This record-setting investment supports Texas’ dedicated educators and the 5.5 million children enrolled in our public education system.

A key part of this funding provides the largest teacher pay raise in Texas history. Teachers with at least three years of experience will now receive a permanent across-the-board raise, with a substantial incentive for those reaching their fifth year—when the raise is at least doubled. In addition, we ensured support staff such as bus drivers, custodians, and classroom aides also received pay raises, recognizing the critical role they play in our schools.

House Bill 2 also strengthens schools by raising the basic allotment, doubling the school safety allotment, and increasing funding for special education, early childhood education, and career and technical programs.

This legislation and funding represents a historic step forward in making sure Texas classrooms are safe, well-funded, and staffed by educators and support personnel who are valued and fairly compensated. Most importantly, these investments will directly benefit the students, teachers, and families right here in our community—ensuring our local schools have the resources they need to help every child succeed.

One of the most important measures the Texas House passed this session was Senate Bill 835, also known as Trey’s Law, which I was proud to joint-sponsor. Before this law, there was nothing in Texas law to stop perpetrators or institutions from forcing victims of sexual abuse to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as part of legal settlements, silencing their voices and preventing them from sharing their stories.

Trey’s Law changes that. This legislation, named in memory of Trey Carlock, a constituent from House District 108, bans the use of NDAs to silence victims of sexual abuse. Just as importantly, it applies retroactively—voiding existing NDAs that have been used to keep survivors from speaking out.

This law ensures that survivors in Texas have the freedom to tell their stories, seek justice, and protect others without being bound to silence. It represents a critical step forward in supporting victims and holding wrongdoers accountable.

On July 4, 2025, our state experienced a devastating tragedy when powerful floodwaters swept through Central Texas overnight. While many areas of the State were affected, the impact was especially heartbreaking in House District 108, where we lost seven young girls attending summer camps and several others visiting the area.

As parents, friends, and fellow Texans, we continue to mourn this profound loss. And as legislators, neighbors, and community members, we immediately began asking what could be done to ensure future generations of campers are better protected. The grief that gripped families in the days after July 4 has since become a shared commitment—to honor the lives lost by making every camp in our state safer.

After meeting with the families of the victims and hearing their powerful testimony, I was honored to joint-author House Bill 1 during the Second Special Session, known as the Youth CAMPER Act (Youth Camp Alert, Mitigation, Preparedness, and Emergency Response Act). This legislation was written to strengthen safety standards, improve emergency preparedness, and ensure swift communication to parents and authorities during emergencies.

At the conclusion of our legislative sessions, I was appointed by the Speaker of the House to Chair the House General Investigating Committee on the July 2025 Flooding Events. We will use our legislative authority to fully understand what went wrong and ensure our state is better prepared for future emergencies. The magnitude of this tragedy demands a comprehensive and thorough review and we will examine the contributing factors to the devastation at Camp Mystic and identify ways to strengthen the state’s preparedness and response to flooding and other natural disasters.

Hanna Lawrence. Rebecca Lawrence. Lila Bonner. Eloise Peck. Janie Hunt. Hadley Hanna. Wynne Naylor. These seven Mystic Angels from Dallas are forever etched in our city’s heart. Their memory compels us to act and challenges us to do better. They deserve nothing less.

This Session, one of the most meaningful bills we passed was House Bill 2457, which designates a portion of U.S. Highway 287 as the Molly Mullens Mile. After the tragic loss of their 9-year-old daughter, Molly, in a car accident last year, the Mullens family reached out to our office to advocate for safety improvements along this dangerous stretch of highway.

Thanks to their tireless efforts, what could have taken years to accomplish instead became reality within months resulting in the installation of stronger concrete barriers to better protect drivers. It has been a privilege to work alongside the Mullens family, cherished members of our House District 108 community, not only to honor Molly’s memory but also to help make lasting improvements in highway safety that will benefit Texans for years to come.

This session I authored and passed several laws to improve the lives of Texans.

The Texas Miracle
One of our priorities this Session was to continue making Texas the best state to do business. I sponsored and authored a package of bills to support that goal.

Senate Bill 29 strengthens Texas’ business-friendly environment, efficient legal system, and specialized business courts by reforming corporate laws. It protects shareholders and businesses, safeguards our courts from abuse, ensures accountability for corporate misconduct, and encourages companies to incorporate in Texas—creating new jobs and contributing to our growing economy.

I also authored House Joint Resolution 4, which would prohibit the Legislature from imposing new taxes on financial transactions. Some states have considered taxing the buying and selling of financial assets, which could reduce Texans’ returns on 401(k)s, pensions, and mutual funds. This measure ensures Texans can continue to save for their future without additional burdens from the state.

Increasing Penalties on Insider Trading
Public officials should never abuse their office for personal financial gain. That’s why I authored and passed House Bill 2001, which strengthens legal penalties for public servants who misuse official information, including insider trading. Under HB 2001, the severity of the punishment increases to second- or first-degree felonies depending on the amount of financial gain, sending a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated.

Protecting the Vulnerable
House Bill 4238 helps protect victims of domestic violence and human trafficking by addressing coerced debt. Coerced debt occurs when an abuser uses a victim’s identity to incur credit-related transactions without their consent. HB 4238 creates a straightforward and accessible process for victims to stop collections on these debts. By providing documentation to a creditor that the debt resulted from identity theft through coercion, victims can regain control of their finances and begin to rebuild their lives.