STATE VOTING
The Daily Record is running a Texas Tribune series outlining each of the 17 state-wide constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot. The series will include two of these overviews in every issue until early voting begins on Oct. 20.
PROPOSITION 7 (HJR 133): TAX EXEMPTION FOR VETERANS’ SPOUSES
The ballot language: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a veteran who died as a result of a condition or disease that is presumed under federal law to have been service-connected.”
What it means: This change would allow state lawmakers to give property tax breaks on homes to the un-remarried spouses of U.S. veterans who the federal government determined died in connection to their service. State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said during legislative discussions that the change is meant to align Texas with a more recent federal law that expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.
Accompanying legislation by Turner would exempt qualifying spouses of veterans from paying any property taxes on their home if they have not remarried. The state would have to make up the reduced property tax revenue for local school districts, but it is not expected to be a significant cost, according to a fiscal note from the state’s Legislative Budget Board. An estimated 3,000 spouses could potentially benefit from the exemption, according to the fiscal note.
PROPOSITION 8 (HJR 2): INHERITANCE TAX BAN
The ballot language: “The constitutional amendment to prohibit the legislature from imposing death taxes applicable to a decedent’s property or the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift.”
What it means: Though Texas does not currently have an inheritance tax, this measure aims to prevent lawmakers from trying to impose a tax on an estate or when an estate or inheritance is transferred. It would not eliminate other existing taxes that can be associated with an inheritance, such as unpaid property taxes, according to committee discussions on the proposal. Critics of this constitutional amendment have said it is unnecessary and would limit state lawmakers in the future, according to the House Research Organization.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune https://www.texastribune. org/2025/09/22/tex as-statewide-propositions- november-ballotelection/.
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