Texas House approves increase to homestead exemption amid debate over local impacts

The Texas House voted to pass Senate Bill 4 on third reading, approving an increase in the school-district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 and related measures intended to deliver state-funded property tax relief to homeowners.

Supporters said the bill will deliver direct relief to millions of homeowners while protecting school districts; opponents said the measure risks shifting tax burdens to local governments and does not address appraisal-driven tax increases.

Representative Meyer, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, told colleagues, "This bill does in fact help millions of Texans with their property tax burden." He led the bill and offered hold-harmless changes intended to protect school districts, including moving the hold‑harmless effective date to Sept. 1, 2025, and broadening the compression protections marked in the draft language.

Representative Olcott offered an amendment to further increase the exemption; he…