State
BY HANNAH NORTON
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick outlines priorities for nal stretch of regular session Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sat down with Community Impact on April 2 to discuss the nal stretch of Texas’ 140-day regular legislative session, which ends June 2. The former state senator from north- west Harris County was rst elected to his current role, in which he oversees the Senate, in 2014. How would an education savings account program, which would give parents public funds to spend on private education, impact public school funding? When it comes to school funding, most of the homestead [exemption] to $300,000 roughly, if we reduce the compression a little bit, and that would take a lot of people o of paying any school [maintenance and operations] taxes. The average home in Texas is [worth] $350,000, so if we raise the exemption to $300,000, basically you’re zeroed out on paying school M&O taxes. Senate Bill 3 would ban all forms of consumable THC from being sold in Texas. How would this impact hemp retailers across the state?
schools that are having a problem ... it’s because the money that all schools received during COVID[-19], the federal government warned them that it’s one- time money. ... Some school districts went out and hired people [or raised salaries] with that money. Our funding for education is higher than it’s ever been. This year, in total, it’s going to be close to $96 billion, with over $80 billion from the state and additional money from the [federal government]. We’re spending [about $80 billion] for public education and $1 billion for school choice. There are 5.5 million students in Texas public schools, and there’s going to be 100,000 [eligible for] school choice [funding]. There’s just no way that that undermines the school system. Similar to last session, the House and Senate are advancing competing property tax relief plans. Can you come to an agreement there? [In 2023, the Senate] fought for the homestead exemption, and at the end of the day, we won that battle. We have two strategies [this session]. We’ve proposed increasing the homestead exemption to $140,000 this year. I want to increase the senior exemption to $200,000. The other option is, we can increase the
This is potent poison that’s being sold in smoke shops, and they package it for kids. There was a bag of gummies in a store that I went in that had 750 milligrams [of THC]. That’ll cause potential life-altering health issues. People say, ‘Why do you want to close down these THC shops?’ Because people who are buying it have no idea what’s in it. And some people said we should regulate it, but we can’t regulate and check on 8,000 shops. We just have to close them down. This is dangerous, poisonous stu in these shops that’s being sold to kids and adults. So in lieu of that, we [want to expand] the Compassionate Use Program. That’s for veterans with PTSD, that’s for cancer patients who have great pain or children with seizures. ... We’ll open more of those [provid- ers], but these [THC retailers] have to be shut down. In large Texas cities, Senate Bill 15 seeks to reduce minimum residential lot sizes for new neighborhoods. Why is the Senate focused on land use and zoning this session? It’s not a surprise to anyone that the cost of housing is going up. ... We have to make it easier to buy a home. One of the things that increases the
MARIE LEONARD COMMUNITY IMPACT
cost of homes is lot size: the bigger the lot, the more the house costs. Anything we can do to streamline the building process, make it more e cient, so that there aren’t as many fees and delays involved, and [reduce] lot sizes—whatever we can do to make housing more a ordable is a big step.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com .
SELLING A FAMILY HEIRLOOM CAN BE DIFFICULT.
WE MAKE IT EASY.
NOW OPEN
WE WILL BUY ANY GUN! 512-999-8196 INHERIT GUNS? WE ALSO BUY COINS!
Now Open!
Just off 306 near Gruene
COMBAT VETERAN OWNED & OPERATED WORLD’S ONLY BESPOKE TAILOR & CUSTOM GUNSHOP GET CASH IN YOUR HAND TODAY FOR GUNS OR COINS
RiverSmilesNB.com Just o 306 near Gruene RiverKidsNB.com
Kristen Self, DDS
31
NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook