Texas Senate bill by Sen. Bettencourt mandates clear language for tax-related ballot propositions

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt seeks to ensure ballot propositions involving tax changes clearly state the amount or rate and include a notice when proposing a tax increase, aiming to improve voter information, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, five Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while five Democrats opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 17 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted in favor, while 44 Democrats and one Republican voted against it.

Paul Bettencourt introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Thursday, Jan. 30, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Bettencourt graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS.

Bettencourt, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2015 to represent the state’s 7th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Dan Patrick.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the text of ballot propositions that increase taxes’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends Section 52.072(e) of the Texas Election Code to mandate specific language requirements for ballot propositions involving tax changes. It requires that any proposition seeking voter approval for the imposition or increase of a tax must state the amount or maximum rate of the proposed tax or increase, and include the statement “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE” in capital letters of the same font size as the rest of the proposition. Propositions seeking approval to reduce a tax must state the amount of the tax rate reduction or the new tax rate. The changes apply to elections ordered on or after Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Monday, May 12, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday, May 24.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.