Richie: Democrats Score Victory for Texas Seniors
Below is a statement from Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie on the passage of SJR 13 in the State House of Representatives, which will allow voters to approve lower property tax rates for Texas seniors, who have yet to receive the same reduction as other homeowners. During last year's special session, House Democrats led an effort to pass legislation providing tax relief for seniors, but the proposal was not approved in the Senate. Earlier this session, Republicans in the House and Senate sought to combine lowering tax rates for seniors with a vote to raise the state's constitutional spending cap, a move that would have threatened senior tax relief by holding it hostage to a more controversial measure:
"I applaud Democrats like Representatives Elliott Naishtat and Jim McReynolds, who have continuously fought to ensure senior homeowners are treated fairly. Tom Craddick and his Republican foot soldiers clearly felt the heat from Democratic legislators and advocates for Texas seniors, who vocally opposed using our seniors as political cover in order to dampen any opposition to their controversial effort to bust the state's spending cap. But this is more than a Democratic victory--it is a victory for the thousands of Texas seniors who are currently paying more than their fair share of taxes.
Property tax cuts have been a long time coming for Texas seniors, who deserve the same tax rate given to other homeowners during last year's special session. Many seniors are surviving on a fixed income, and the effort to withhold property tax relief for people in need and the attempt to tie it to a separate controversial measure was appalling."
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