On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Texas Tribune editor in chief Matthew Watkins interviewed Texas Senator Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston). The Senator spent a significant portion of the conversation talking about property taxes, homestead exemptions, free speech, and the November constitutional amendments. He framed Propositions 11 and 13 which are currently on the ballot as a "huge tax cut," especially for homeowners over 65, and he repeatedly urged voters to support all 17 proposed constitutional amendments, echoing what he described as Gov. Greg Abbott's message to "just vote for all 17." He argued that raising homestead exemptions and further compressing school tax rates is about "housing affordability, not affordable housing" and keeping people from being "taxed out of their homes," and rewarding older Texans for "a lifetime of paying taxes."
READ MORE
------------------------------
Michael Spurlin
ATPE
------------------------------