Special Session Called as GOP Lawmakers Fail to Make a Deal on Property Tax Cut 

Gov. Greg Abbott announced late Monday evening that the Texas Legislature will convene for a special session, and a No. 1 priority is to “cut property taxes for hardworking Texans.”

As he was sworn into his third term in January, Abbott promised to use a big chunk of the state’s $33 billion surplus to cut taxes.

“it does not belong to the government,” Abbott said of the surplus. “It belongs to the taxpayers. We will use that budget surplus to provide the largest property tax cut in Texas history.”

Republicans in the state House and Senate couldn’t reach an agreement and ran out the clock Monday, as elected leaders said they expected a proclamation from the governor within the next 12 hours calling them to return to Austin to strike a deal. 

It seemed they were close to a consensus, the Texas Tribune reported, but Senate Republicans balked. 

“At one point, a path to compromise seemed to emerge: sending all $12.3 billion that lawmakers had set aside in the budget for property tax cuts to school districts to lower their tax rates — which would result in all property taxpayers paying a lower rate,” states a report filed Monday by Tribune writer Joshua Fechter. “Abbott signaled that was his preference in a tweet, but [Lt. Gov. Dan} Patrick fired back that it was a nonstarter without a homestead exemption boost sought by Senate Republicans.”