Texas House Passes School Finance & Property Tax Relief Bill

Austin, TX — The Texas House of Representatives today passed House Bill 3, which increases public education funding and grants property tax relief, with strong support from Rep. Erin Zwiener of House District 45.

The bill invests an additional $9 billion in public education, an issue Rep. Zwiener spoke with hundreds of constituents about during her 2018 campaign.

As a children’s author and educator, I am proud to support this bill that gives each and every school district in Hays and Blanco counties a significant increase in funding,” said Rep. Zwiener. “At the same time, we were also able to give hardworking families of House District 45 much-needed property tax relief. With this bill, we are able to take better care of our kids, our families, and our communities around the state, and the state of Texas is once again moving toward paying its fair share for public education.”

HB3 lowers school property tax rates by four cents statewide and invests a total of $9 billion in public education, $2.7 billion to compress school taxes and $6.3 billion for classrooms.

Also included in the bill is a roughly $1,850 teacher and staff pay increase across the state of Texas. Additionally, the bill funds full-day pre-K for all Texas children. There are currently 2,976 children enrolled in pre-K in House District 45.

“Texas children deserve the absolute best,” Rep. Zwiener said. “That’s why I promised to fight for public education, pre-K funding, and teacher pay when I got to the capitol. Because we know that when we properly support our kids, we are supporting our society for generations to come.”

Now House Bill 3 will pass over to the Texas Senate for their consideration. Rep. Zwiener is optimistic that they will also prioritize public education and send this bill to the governor.