Gov. Abbott outlines affordability proposals during Lubbock stop - CW39 Houston

Gov. Greg Abbott visited Lubbock on Friday to lay out his affordability agenda ahead of the 2027 legislative session, targeting property taxes, health care, insurance, housing, and college costs.

Abbott's property tax proposals are the most specific of the bunch. He wants to cap how much home values can increase each year for tax purposes, require a two-thirds voter approval before property taxes can be raised, and shift the cost of funding public education from local school property taxes to the state. That last piece would be a significant restructuring of how Texas schools get their money.

For homeowners in Lubbock, where property values have climbed steadily in recent years, a cap on taxable value increases could slow the creep of higher annual tax bills. The voter-approval requirement would give residents a direct say on future increases rather than leaving those decisions entirely to local governments. If the state absorbs public education funding, school-related property taxes could shrink or disappear from local bills entirely.

Abbott did not provide specific figures for how much any of these proposals would save the average Texan, and none of them become law until the Legislature acts in 2027.

Texas already passed significant property tax relief in 2023, so the question now is how much further the state can actually go.