Texas Realtor Day at the Capitol 2019

The Texas Realtors, with over 125,000 members, had a coordinated effort to meet with Texas Legislators on March 26, 2019 during the 86th Texas Legislature.  Thousands of Realtors from all across the state made their way to Austin Texas that day to meet with Senators and Representatives of their districts.  We call this "Texas Realtor Day" at the Capitol.  When Realtors speak, legislators listen because many of the Realtor issues affect so many of their other constituents. The goal of the Texas Realtors is to ensure Texas remains a great place to do business, raise a family, and buy/sell/lease real property.

Some of the topics covered this year include:

Property Tax Reform/Relief

Texas Realtors support legislation that promotes honesty and transparency in the process local governments follow to set property tax rates.  We want public engagement in the process for all property owners (residential, commercial, and land).  Texas Realtors oppose mandatory sales price disclosure and oppose efforts to weaken equal and uniform appraisal protections.  This means that Texas Realtors support SB2 and HB2.  Both of these bills enhance transparency and give voters a voice when local governments set the tax rates that determine Texans' property tax bills. 

School Finance Reform

Texas Realtors support improving the public school finance system to increase the state's contribution to fund schools while decreasing the burden on local property tax payers. We support SB4 and HB3.  Senate Bill 4 provides comprehensive restructuring of the system to increase state funding and creates a system for giving raises to deserving teachers and staff. House Bill 3 transforms the school finance system with increases in state funding and reduction in school property tax rates by 4 cents.

Annexation

Texas Realtors supports legislation to extend the right for impacted residents to vote on whether their property is annexed into a municipality. Forced annexation directly impacts residential & commercial real estate as well as land owners.  When a municipality forcibly annexes property, the affected property owners are subject to new taxes and regulations without their approval.

Other issues Realtors across the state are currently fighting for includes Disaster Response, Eminent Domain, Home Equity, and the Texas Real Estate Commission's Sunset Review report.  To learn more about what Realtors are doing to fight for YOU, contact the Texas Realtors in Austin Texas or visit www.TexasRealEstate.com/Issues

When you need a Realtor, make sure that you hire a Texas Realtor who knows the issues and gets involved.  They are better able to assist you with your real estate needs.