Monitoring the Session

SB 3067

bill limiting tax election money for paying off debt

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7

Initial review · graded Oct 19, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to restrictions on the use of certain ad valorem taxes and on the issuance of certain bonds supported by ad valorem taxes.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Voter-approved tax money can’t pay off bonds.

This bill bars cities, counties, and local government corporations from using property tax money approved at a tax election under Chapter 26 of the Tax Code to pay off bonds and other public debt. It also blocks a local government from shifting extra operations tax money won at such an election to a local government corporation to repay debt. Local governments that raise operations taxes through an election could no longer route that money into debt payments on securities issued after the bill takes effect, starting immediately or on September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed May 9, 2025 and referred to the Senate Local Government committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB3067 · 2025-05-09

SOLD BY

Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7

ITEM

relating to restrictions on the use of certain ad valorem taxes and on the issuance of certain bonds supported by ad valorem taxes.

WHAT IT DOES

Voter-approved tax money can’t pay off bonds.

This bill bars cities, counties, and local government corporations from using property tax money approved at a tax election under Chapter 26 of the Tax Code to pay off bonds and other public debt. It also blocks a local government from shifting extra operations tax money won at such an election to a local government corporation to repay debt. Local governments that raise operations taxes through an election could no longer route that money into debt payments on securities issued after the bill takes effect, starting immediately or on September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Permission to introduce
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Local Government
FILED UNDER

Beats not yet reviewed.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Paul Bettencourt

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Paul Bettencourt.

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 27, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 19, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed May 9, 2025

05/12/2025 S Referred to Local Government

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Senate committee · Local Government · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Taxation--Property-Miscellaneous

Taxation--School District

BONDS

Text

The text as introduced · 294 words

2025S0392-2 05/09/25

By: Bettencourt
S.B. No. 3067

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to restrictions on the use of certain ad valorem taxes and

on the issuance of certain bonds supported by ad valorem taxes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 26.07, Tax Code, is amended by adding

Subsection (h) to read as follows:

(h) Notwithstanding any other law, an increase in a taxing

unit's maintenance and operations tax revenue derived from an

election under this section may not be used or transferred to a

local government corporation to repay a public security in

installment payments or otherwise.

SECTION 2. Chapter 1253, Government Code, is amended by

adding Section 1253.004 to read as follows:

Sec. 1253.004. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO USE AD VALOREM

TAX REVENUE TO PAY PUBLIC SECURITIES. (a) In this section,

"public security" has the meaning assigned by Section 1201.002.

(b) A municipality, county, or local government corporation

may not dedicate, pledge, or otherwise use revenue subject to

annual appropriation and derived wholly or partly from ad valorem

taxes from an election under Chapter 26, Tax Code, for payment of a

public security, including revenue transferred to a local

government corporation, to secure or make payments on a public

security.

SECTION 3. Section 1253.004, Government Code, as added by

this Act, applies only to a public security as defined by that

section issued on or after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.