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Election 2025

Texas Constitutional Amendments & Special SD9 Election - Nov 4, 2025

Texas Senate District 9

• Runoff Election Date To Be Announced: Taylor Rehmet (D) Leigh Wambsganss (R)

17 Propositions - ALL PASSED

• PROPOSITION 1 (S.J.R. 59): The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the permanent technical institution infrastructure fund and the available workforce education fund to support the capital needs of educational programs offered by the Texas State Technical College System.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 59: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution creating the permanent technical institution infrastructure fund and the available workforce education fund to provide a dedicated source of funding for capital projects and equipment purchases related to educational programs offered by the Texas State Technical College System, the statewide system of campuses that provide advanced technical vocational education. Income from the permanent technical institution infrastructure fund would be available each year, within specified limits, for transfer to the available workforce education fund and appropriation to the TSTC campuses.

• PROPOSITION 2 (S.J.R. 18): The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 18: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution prohibiting the legislature from taxing the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust. The prohibition would apply to a tax on the sale or transfer of a capital asset that is payable by the individual, family, estate, or trust selling or transferring the asset, regardless of who owned the asset. The proposed amendment provides that the prohibition would not prohibit an ad valorem tax on property or a sales or use tax on goods or services.

• PROPOSITION 3 (S.J.R. 5): The constitutional amendment requiring the denial of bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 5: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, amends the Texas Constitution to require the denial of bail pending trial to a person charged with certain serious felony offenses, including murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child, and human trafficking, if the attorney representing the state demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence after a hearing that the granting of bail is insufficient to reasonably prevent the person's willful nonappearance in court or demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence after a hearing that the granting of bail is insufficient to reasonably ensure the safety of the community, law enforcement, and the victim of the alleged offense. The proposed amendment requires a judge or magistrate to prepare a written order when granting bail to a person charged with one or more of the listed offenses and provides guidelines that the judge or magistrate must follow in setting bail and imposing conditions of release. The proposed amendment describes what a judge or magistrate must consider when determining whether a preponderance of the evidence or clear and convincing evidence exists to deny a person bail under the amendment. The proposed amendment also provides that a person is entitled to be represented by counsel at a hearing described by the amendment.

• PROPOSITION 4 (H.J.R. 7): The constitutional amendment to dedicate a portion of the revenue derived from state sales and use taxes to the Texas water fund and to provide for the allocation and use of that revenue.

  Summary Analysis H.J.R. 7: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution directing the comptroller of public accounts to deposit $1 billion of state sales and use tax revenue to the Texas water fund each state fiscal year, to the extent the state collects more than $46.5 billion of that tax revenue during the fiscal year. The proposed amendment prohibits tax revenue deposited to the Texas water fund under the amendment from being used to construct infrastructure to transport fresh (non-brackish) groundwater and further provides that, notwithstanding any other law, tax revenue deposited to the Texas water fund must be maintained in a separate account in the fund and may not be transferred from the fund except by legislative appropriation. The legislature is authorized by the proposed amendment to prescribe the manner in which all or a portion of the tax revenue deposited to the Texas water fund is allocated to certain other funds and accounts administered by the Texas Water Development Board. Any allocation prescribed by the legislature may not be changed during the first 10 years for which the money is allocated, except that the allocation may be temporarily suspended during a declared state of disaster. The duty of the comptroller to deposit tax revenue to the Texas water fund expires after 20 years, as do the provisions restricting the use of that revenue for certain purposes, requiring that revenue to be deposited into a separate account in the Texas water fund, and authorizing the legislature to allocate all or a portion of that revenue.

• PROPOSITION 5 (H.J.R. 99): The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the owner of the property for sale at retail.

  Summary Analysis H.J.R. 99: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution to authorize the legislature by general law to exempt from ad valorem taxation tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the owner of the property for sale at retail. The amendment further authorizes the legislature by general law to provide additional eligibility requirements for the exemption. The 89th Legislature also enacted H.B. 1399, Regular Session, 2025, to implement the proposed exemption if the voters approve the constitutional amendment. H.B. 1399 limits the exemption to feed to be sold for farm and ranch animals or feed for animals held for sale in the regular course of business.

• PROPOSITION 6 (H.J.R. 4): The constitutional amendment prohibiting the legislature from enacting a law imposing an occupation tax on certain entities that enter into transactions conveying securities or imposing a tax on certain securities transactions.

  Summary Analysis H.J.R. 4: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution prohibiting the legislature from imposing an occupation tax on securities market operators, such as stock exchanges and stock brokers, regulated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The proposed amendment would also prohibit the legislature from imposing a tax on securities transactions conducted by those securities market operators. Additionally, the proposed amendment clarifies that the amendment's prohibitions are not intended to limit the state’s authority to impose certain existing taxes and fees, such as severance taxes or general sales taxes, or to change the rate of a tax in existence on January 1, 2026. The proposed amendment, along with other legislation enacted by the 89th Texas Legislature, relates to the possible establishment of one or more national stock exchanges in Texas by prohibiting certain taxes that could otherwise apply to a stock exchange located in Texas.

• PROPOSITION 7 (H.J.R. 133): The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a veteran who died as a result of a condition or disease that is presumed under federal law to have been service-connected.

  Summary Analysis H.J.R. 133: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes to amend Section 1-b, Article VIII, Texas Constitution, to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a veteran of the U.S. armed services who died as a result of a condition or disease that is presumed under federal law to have been service-connected through exposure during military service to toxins like Agent Orange, toxic burn pits, or radiation. Additionally, the proposed amendment authorizes the legislature to provide that the surviving spouse of such a veteran who receives the exemption and subsequently qualifies a different property as the surviving spouse’s residence homestead is entitled to an exemption for the new residence homestead in an amount equal to the dollar amount of the exemption the surviving spouse received in the last year the surviving spouse received that exemption on the first homestead. If the surviving spouse remarries, the spouse is no longer eligible for the exemption. The 89th Legislature also enacted H.B. 2508, 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, to implement the proposed exemption if the voters approve the constitutional amendment. H.B. 2508 provides that the exemption applies to the total appraised value of the surviving spouse's residence homestead and may be transferred to a subsequent homestead in the same dollar amount.

• PROPOSITION 8 (H.J.R. 2): The constitutional amendment to prohibit the legislature from imposing death taxes applicable to a decedent's property or the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift.

  Summary Analysis H.J.R. 2: Proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution prohibiting the legislature from taxing the estate of an individual who has died. The proposed amendment also prohibits the legislature from taxing the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift from one individual, family, estate, or trust to another, unless the transfer was subject to the tax on January 1, 2025. Finally, the proposed amendment prohibits the legislature from increasing the rate or expanding the applicability of any tax on the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift that was in effect on January 1, 2025.

• PROPOSITION 9 (H.J.R. 1): The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation a portion of the market value of tangible personal property a person owns that is held or used for the production of income.

  Summary Analysis H.J.R. 1: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes to amend Section 1(g), Article VIII, Texas Constitution, to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation $125,000 of the market value of tangible personal property that is held or used for the production of income.

• PROPOSITION 10 (S.J.R. 84): The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to provide for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of the appraised value of an improvement to a residence homestead that is completely destroyed by a fire.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 84: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes to amend Section 1-b, Article VIII, Texas Constitution, by adding Subsection (z) to authorize the legislature to provide for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of the appraised value of an improvement to a residence homestead that is completely destroyed by a fire. The exemption would not apply to the remainder of the residence homestead, such as the land or any structures that are not destroyed. Subsection (z) also authorizes the legislature to prescribe the duration of the exemption and provide additional eligibility requirements for the exemption. The 89th Legislature enacted S.B. 467, Regular Session, 2025, to implement the exemption if the voters approve the constitutional amendment. S.B. 467 exempts an improvement to a residence homestead that is destroyed by fire and rendered uninhabitable for at least 30 days from ad valorem taxes for the remainder of the tax year in which the fire occurs. S.B. 467 limits the exemption to a habitable structure, so it would not apply to a garage, barn, or similar improvement.

• PROPOSITION 11 (S.J.R. 85): The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district of the market value of the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 85: Proposes to amend the Texas Constitution to authorize the legislature to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district of the market value of the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled from an amount not to exceed $10,000 to an amount not to exceed $60,000.

• PROPOSITION 12 (S.J.R. 27): The constitutional amendment regarding the membership of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, the membership of the tribunal to review the commission's recommendations, and the authority of the commission, the tribunal, and the Texas Supreme Court to more effectively sanction judges and justices for judicial misconduct.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 27: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes to amend the Texas Constitution to modify the composition of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to consist of a majority of citizens appointed by the governor, eliminating the appointment of two attorneys by the State Bar of Texas, and to eliminate the selection by lot of members of a tribunal of appellate judges tasked with reviewing the commission's recommendations regarding a complaint of misconduct against a Texas judge or justice. Additionally, S.J.R. 27 proposes to amend the Texas Constitution to permit the commission to issue a private sanction against a judge or justice only if the judge or justice has not been previously sanctioned and the allegations do not include criminal conduct, and to clarify the discretion of the commission to recommend the removal or retirement of a judge or justice. The proposed amendment also clarifies the circumstances under which the commission is authorized or required to suspend a judge or justice from office.

• PROPOSITION 13 (S.J.R. 2): The constitutional amendment to increase the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district from $100,000 to $140,000.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 2: Proposes to amend the Texas Constitution to increase the portion of the market value of a residence homestead that is exempt from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $100,000 to $140,000.

• PROPOSITION 14 (S.J.R. 3): The constitutional amendment providing for the establishment of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, establishing the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund to provide money for research on and prevention and treatment of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related disorders in this state, and transferring to that fund $3 billion from state general revenue.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 3: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes adding Section 68 to Article III, Texas Constitution, to require the legislature to establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to provide grants and assistance to support research, prevention, and treatment for dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related disorders. The amendment also requires the creation of the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund and the transfer of $3 billion from the state's general revenue to the fund to support the institute and its activities. The 89th Legislature enacted S.B. 5, Regular Session, 2025, contingent on voter approval of the constitutional amendment, to create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and provide for its governance and operation. Also contingent on voter approval of the constitutional amendment, the 2025 General Appropriations Act directs the transfer of $3 billion to the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund and appropriates $300 million from that fund in each year of the 2026-2027 biennium to the institute to administer the provisions of S.B. 5.

• PROPOSITION 15 (S.J.R. 34): The constitutional amendment affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 34: Proposes to add Section 37 to Article I, Texas Constitution, to affirm that a parent has the responsibility to nurture and protect the parent's child and the corresponding fundamental right to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent's child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child's upbringing. The proposed amendment would provide an express constitutional guarantee of these generally recognized rights and responsibilities.

• PROPOSITION 16 (S.J.R. 37): The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.

  Summary Analysis S.J.R. 37: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes to amend Section 1, Article VI, Texas Constitution, to expressly provide that persons who are not citizens of the United States are prohibited from voting in Texas. Section 2, Article VI, of the Texas Constitution provides that a resident of the state who is a United States citizen is considered a qualified voter unless disqualified under Section 1. Section 2 implies that only a U.S. citizen is qualified to vote but does not expressly disqualify noncitizens. The proposed amendment to Section 1 would clarify that noncitizens are ineligible to vote.

• PROPOSITION 17 (H.J.R. 34): The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of the amount of the market value of real property located in a county that borders the United Mexican States that arises from the installation or construction on the property of border security infrastructure and related improvements.

  Summary Analysis H.J.R. 34: 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, proposes to amend Article VIII, Texas Constitution, by adding Section 1-y to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation the amount of the market value of real property located in a county that borders the United Mexican States that arises from the installation or construction on the property of border security infrastructure, such as a border wall, and related improvements. Section 1-y also authorizes the legislature to define "border security infrastructure" and provide additional eligibility requirements for the exemption. The 89th Legislature also enacted H.B. 247, Regular Session, 2025, to implement the proposed exemption if the voters approve the constitutional amendment. H.B. 247 limits the exemption to border security improvements made under an agreement with the state or federal government or on an easement granted for border security use to the state or federal government.

Analysis courtesy of Chris Turner, State Representative, District 101