Voters’ Guide to Texas Constitutional Amendments

Olney voters will decide on 17 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

This explanation of each measure draws from the Texas Secretary of State’s official ballot language. The analyses of each proposal comes from the nonpartisan Texas House Research Organization.

Prop 1 — Create permanent funds for Texas State Technical College (TSTC) What it does: Sets up two state funds to finance TSTC capital projects/ equipment; investments managed by the Comptroller; athletics/auxiliaries excluded.

Pro: Stable, long-term funding for workforce training; relieves pressure on other higher-ed funds.

Con: Carves out money for one system; ties up dollars that could be set via regular appropriations.

Prop 2 — Ban state capital-gains taxes on individuals What it does: Bars a state tax on realized or unrealized capital gains for individuals, families, estates, trusts. Sales/ use and property taxes unaffected.

Pro: Prevents a new tax that could dampen investment/retirement planning; adds certainty.

Con: Handcuffs future legislators from revenue options in downturns; policy belongs in statute, not the Constitution.

Prop 3 — Allow denial of bail for certain serious felonies What it does: Requires judges to deny bail in listed violent/sex-trafficking crimes if the state meets specified proof standards.

Pro: Targets high-risk defendants; improves public/victim safety.

Con: Risks pretrial over-detention and due-process concerns; existing tools already allow restrictive bail.

Prop 4 — Dedicate a portion of state sales/use tax to the Texas Water Fund What it does: Constitutionally routes a recurring share of sales/use tax to the Water Fund; allows allocations to TWDB accounts; may be suspended in declared disasters.

Pro: Creates predictable dollars (described by HRO as $1B annually) to modernize aging systems and develop supply as Texas grows.

Con: Locks budget choices into the Constitution; some argue more should be fenced strictly for new water supply.

Prop 5 — Exempt retail animal feed inventory from property tax What it does: Lets lawmakers exempt animal feed held for retail sale from ad valorem (property) tax.

Pro: Eases seasonal inventory tax spikes for rural/ag businesses; could lower costs for producers.

Con: Shrinks local tax base and may shift burden to other taxpayers.

Prop 6 — Ban a state tax on securities transactions/market-operator occupations

What it does: Forbids an occupation tax on registered securities market operators and taxes on their securities transactions; leaves general business/ sales/mineral/insurance taxes intact.

Pro: Signals Texas is friendly to exchanges/finance; avoids a levy that could reduce market liquidity.

Con: Removes a future revenue tool; critics prefer statute (with sunset) over a constitutional ban.

Prop 7 — Homestead tax break for surviving spouses of certain veterans What it does: Lets Legislature exempt all/part of homestead value for surviving spouses of veterans who died from federally presumed service-connected conditions, if not remarried.

Pro: Extends support to families harmed by service-related illnesses (e.g., toxic exposures).

Con: Adds another narrow exemption that erodes local revenues; benefit design could be handled in statute.

Prop 8 — Prohibit state death/ estate/inheritance/transfer/gift taxes (with exceptions) What it does: Bars new state-level death/transfer taxes not in effect on 1/1/2025 and restricts rate/coverage hikes on any existing such levies; multiple exceptions listed.

Pro: Prevents double taxation; offers certainty for family farms/small businesses.

Con: Forecloses a progressive revenue option used elsewhere; better left to statute if ever needed.

Prop 9 — Raise business personal- property tax exemption threshold

What it does: Authorizes Legislature to exempt up to $125,000 of tangible personal property used to produce income (replacing the “at least admin-cost” floor).

Pro: Cuts red tape for small firms; reduces tax on equipment/inventory.

Con: Lowers local revenue and may shift burden to homeowners/other property.

Prop 10 — Temporary homestead exemption after total loss by fire What it does: Lets Legislature grant a time-limited property-tax exemption on a residence-homestead improvement completely destroyed by fire.

Pro: Gives families breathing room to recover from catastrophic loss.

Con: Narrow carve-out (fire only) complicates the tax code; local revenue hit.

Prop 11 — Increase extra school-district homestead exemption for elderly/ disabled What it does: Raises the additional school-district homestead exemption for 65+ or disabled from $10,000 to $60,000.

Pro: Meaningful relief for fixed-income homeowners amid rising appraisals.

Con: Further compresses school M&O tax base; may force state backfill or pressure other taxpayers.

Prop 12 — Restructure State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) and review process What it does: Changes SCJC makeup (six judges appointed by Supreme Court; seven citizens by Governor, all Senate-confirmed), tightens standards, expands suspension authority, adjusts review-tribunal selection.

Pro: Stronger, clearer discipline tools; more public accountability for misconduct.

Con: Risks politicizing oversight via appointments; narrows private reprimand use.

Prop 13 — Increase mandatory school homestead exemption to $140,000 What it does: Lifts the basic school-district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000.

Pro: Broad homeowner relief; builds on recent property-tax cuts.

Con: Reduces school tax base; longterm state cost to hold districts harmless.

Prop 14 — Create Dementia Prevention & Research Institute of Texas; seed fund with $3B What it does: Establishes a new state institute and a dedicated fund for research/prevention/treatment of dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.; transfers $3B from general revenue.

Pro: Major investment in a growing health crisis; could attract top researchers and improve care.

Con: Large, permanent constitutional program outside normal budget review; questions about governance and priorities.

Prop 15 — “Parents are the primary decision makers for their children” What it does: Affirms a parent’s fundamental right to make decisions regarding a child’s upbringing, care, custody, and control.

Pro: Codifies existing parental-rights principles; offers clarity in disputes with schools/government.

Con: Could create litigation/ambiguity with child-protection, public-health, and education laws.

Prop 16 — Clarify that only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas elections What it does: States explicitly that voters must be U.S. citizens. (Federal and Texas law already require citizenship.)

Pro: Reinforces election integrity and preempts local experiments with non-citizen voting.

Con: Redundant symbolism; may confuse voters or stigmatize legal residents.

Prop 17 — Border-security infrastructure property-tax exemption (border counties only) What it does: Lets Legislature exempt the value added to real property in Texas counties bordering Mexico that arises from installing/constructing border- security infrastructure and related improvements.

Pro: Encourages landowners to cooperate with security projects without higher tax bills.

Con: Narrow benefit with unclear local value; further erodes county tax base.