Senate committee unanimously advances larger homestead exemptions for seniors and disabled; companion constitutional amendment moves forward

The Committee on Local Government advanced Senate Bill 23 and the companion Senate Joint Resolution 85 by unanimous votes, moving both measures to the full Senate with recommendations that they "do pass and be printed." The committee also approved Senate Bill 898 earlier in the hearing and recommended it for the local and uncontested calendar.

Senate Bill 23, carried in committee by Senator Bettencourt, would raise the additional homestead exemption for homeowners age 65 and older and for disabled homeowners from $10,000 to $60,000 — a $50,000 increase — and the committee hearing included invited testimony from realtors, builders, senior advocacy groups and individual residents. Senator Bettencourt said the increase, combined with prior measures, would bring the total exemption available to many seniors and disabled homeowners to roughly $200,000 and, on the committee slides cited during testimony, showed an estimated average savings of about $950.87 per eligible homeowner.

The bill drew broad support in testimony. Susan Spataro, testifying on her own behalf, said, "I think this bill is an excellent bill for a lot of reasons" and urged the committee to focus on taxpayers who must pay the bills rather than on beneficiaries of programs funded by taxes. Brandy Winch, managing broker and owner of CityView Realty and president of the Austin Board of Realtors, said, "Texas Realtors supports SB 23 and SJR 85 because we understand that our seniors could greatly benefit more stability in their property taxes." JD Hill, representing the Texas Association of Builders, said property tax relief is "one small piece of the puzzle to help provide housing affordability relief" for older and disabled homeowners and for nonprofit partners that build or renovate homes for those groups. Mike Taylor, representing the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature, also voiced support for the measures.

Not all witnesses endorsed the bills without reservation. Shannon Halbrook of Every Texan said the group generally favors a flat-dollar homestead exemption as the "most equitable way to cut property taxes" and cautioned against making large, permanent tax cuts out of a temporary budget surplus; she also urged consideration of programs that target need by ability to pay, such as circuit-breaker programs that some other states use to help low-income homeowners and renters.

Committee procedure and votes

During the hearing the chair laid out Senate Bill 23 and SJR 85 for invited testimony and then opened public testimony. Witnesses included James Pope (on behalf of Pop Hutchison and Ryan LLC), Susan Spataro, Brandy Winch (Texas Realtors), Mike Taylor (Texas Silver-Haired Legislature), JD Hill (Texas Association of Builders) and Shannon Halbrook (Every Texan). After testimony and brief discussion of county-by-county impacts shown on committee slides, the committee took recorded votes.

- Senate Bill 898: Motion to report the bill to the full Senate with recommendation that it do pass and be printed passed on a roll call recorded as 5 ayes, 0 nays. The committee also recommended SB 898 for the local and uncontested calendar.

- Senate Bill 23: Motion to report to the full Senate with recommendation that it do pass and be printed passed on a roll call recorded as 7 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Joint Resolution 85: Motion to report to the full Senate with recommendation that it do pass and be printed passed on a roll call recorded as 7 ayes, 0 nays.

Discussion vs. decision

The hearing combined policy testimony and committee action. Witnesses described lived and professional experience — including concerns about seniors on fixed incomes, the role of homestead exemptions in allowing aging in place, and the interaction of exemptions with existing "freeze" provisions enacted by voters in 2022 — while policy advocates raised trade-offs. The committee’s recorded votes represent formal committee action advancing the bills; no amendment to SB 23 or SJR 85 was adopted in committee during the hearing.

Background and context

Committee discussion referenced prior legislation and voter action: witnesses and the bill sponsor tied the measure to earlier changes (cited in committee testimony as SB 4 and state actions after Proposition 1 in 2022) and to a property-tax relief package described in testimony as enacted in November 2023. Committee slides presented county-level estimates showing that in many counties a large share of homeowners age 65 and older already pay no school property tax, and committee members and witnesses said the proposed changes would raise that share in many counties.

Votes at a glance

- SB 898 — Reported out 5–0; recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. (Motion text in committee: "that Senate Bill 898 be reported back to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed.") - SB 23 — Reported out 7–0 to the full Senate with recommendation it do pass and be printed. (Motion: "that Senate Bill 23 be reported back to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed.") - SJR 85 — Reported out 7–0 to the full Senate with recommendation it do pass and be printed.

The committee record shows unanimous committee support for SB 23 and SJR 85 in committee, but the measures must still clear the full Senate and, for the constitutional amendment, ultimately voters.

(Transcript excerpts and timestamps supporting this account are available in the provenance section below.)