STATEWIDE ELECTIONS
MARÍA MÉNDEZ TEXAS TRIBUNE
The San Marcos Daily Record is running the Texas Tribune series outlining each of the 17 state-wide constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot. Each issue of the Daily Record will include two of these overviews until early voting begins on Oct. 20.
PROPOSITION 1 (SJR 59): TEXAS STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE FUNDING
The ballot language: “The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the permanent technical institution infrastructure fund and the available workforce education fund to support the capital needs of educational programs offered by the Texas State Technical College System.”
What it means: This amendment would create an endowment for the Texas State Technical College Program.
Unlike other public twoyear colleges, Texas State Technical College does not have taxing authority to issue bonds, and underfunding has led to a halt in critical capital improvements. If voters approve the constitutional amendment, TSTC officials have said they will use the money to fix campus infrastructure, upgrade classroom equipment and expand its footprint across the state.
This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott made workforce training a priority during the regular legislative session. Texas employers have been signaling a decline in skilled workers for fields such as plumbing and welding, saying this could threaten Texas’ economy.
Proponents of this allocation of funds say it would help build facilities for training and close the skills gap in Texas. Critics have said creating an endowment for TSTC would limit government spending oversight and transparency. — Olla Mokhtar, Sneha Dey
PROPOSITION 2 (SJR 18): CAPITAL GAINS TAX BAN
The ballot language: “The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust.”
What it means: This would ban the state from taxing people or businesses on profits or potential profits from capital assets, such as investments, real estate, valuable items and certain personal property. It would also eliminate a franchise tax on business trusts, which would lead the state to lose an estimated $152,000 in revenue per fiscal year, according to the state comptroller’s office.
Proponents of the capital gains tax ban say it doubles down on the state’s income tax ban, which was approved by voters in 2019. State lawmakers suggested in an analysis they don’t want to repeat what happened in Washington state where officials there enacted a capital gains tax despite also prohibiting a state income tax. And during legislative discussions, state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a Republican from Southlake who sponsored the proposal, said that the franchise tax on business trusts “could be construed as a capital gains tax undermining Texas economic competitiveness.” — María Méndez This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune. org/2025/09/22/texasstatewide- propositions-november- ballot-election/.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune. org.
