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May 6, 2019      4:38 PM

Chairman Taylor says HB3 will be amended to cut it back down to $9 billion, eliminating need for a tax swap

"You'll see a revised fiscal note," Chair Taylor said as the debate got underway on HB 3 in the Senate. Meantime Public Education Chair Huberty tells QR he will move forward with a vote Tuesday on HJR 3

As Senate seems to be undercutting the need for a tax swap proposal in the school finance bill, Texas House Republicans are on the verge of busting the spending cap this session for property tax relief that will benefit the constituents of only a handful of members. That was the argument presented by some of the members of the House Democratic Caucus told reporters on Monday morning.

Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, led off the news conference, saying the state had $43 billion in revenue lost to tax loopholes. Instead, the GOP leadership wanted Texans to take a 16 percent sales tax increase rather than do the hard work of looking at tax exemptions.

As the Senate on the floor was working to change the school finance plan such that a sales tax swap would not be necessary – even though the proposal might still be debated in the upper chamber – Public Education Chairman Dan Huberty told QR that he will still seek a vote in the House on HJR3 on Tuesday.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was not in the chair as the debate was unfolding in the Senate around 3pm, by the way. That’s after we are told the GOP Caucus met without him behind closed doors. Of course, the Lt. Governor would have to be invited to the discussion.

By Kimberly Reeves

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