Texas property taxes

More than 130 cities, most with fewer than 10,000 residents, were blocked from increasing their property tax revenue because they had broken the law.

Texas will have more than 30 new laws on the books come New Year's Day, touching on everything from artificial intelligence regulation to property tax exemptions.

Conservative and liberal tax policy experts said Abbott's proposal would lead to higher housing costs and tax benefits flowing disproportionately to wealthy homeowners.

The governor must first win over lawmakers who have rejected similar proposals. The state may have to backfill more than $17 billion for school funding alone.

Gov. Greg Abbott formally announced his fourth gubernatorial run in Houston on Sunday. The incumbent Republican, who currently has around $87 million in his campaign war chest, will face two opponents in the 2026 party primary election.

While most proposed amendments on this year's ballot focused on taxes, voters also showed strong support for investing in Texas' network of technical colleges and dementia and Alzheimer's research.

Economic uncertainty, inflation, strict state limits on property tax collections and uncertainty around future federal funds have crimped local budgets.

Here's what we're watching this week at the Legislature.

New laws range from school vouchers and water infrastructure funding to a ban on city and county-funded abortion travel funds.

Texas cities and counties have already had their budgets compressed by a variety of factors, including the state's current property tax limits.