Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the state to pay at least 50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating the public school system and prohibiting the comptroller from certifying legislation containing an appropriation unless the requirement is met.
Impact
If enacted, HJR97 would require a substantial change in how the state allocates funds for public schools. This requirement could lead to increased appropriations from the state budget to meet the constitutional mandate, fundamentally altering the budgetary dynamics for public education. The implications could extend to local school districts, which might find themselves with more reliable funding sources and the ability to offer better educational resources and opportunities for students across Texas.
Summary
HJR97 proposes a significant amendment to the Texas Constitution that mandates the state to fund at least 50% of the costs associated with maintaining and operating the public school system. This resolution not only sets a clear funding requirement but also introduces a provision that restricts the state comptroller from certifying legislation containing appropriations for public education unless this funding baseline is met. The proposed amendment aims to ensure a more substantial state investment in public education, addressing potential funding shortfalls that have impacted school operations statewide.
Contention
The proposal has stirred debate among legislators and stakeholders in the educational realm. Proponents argue that this constitutional amendment is essential for ensuring equitable funding for public schools, saying that all students should have access to quality education, regardless of their geographic location. Conversely, opponents may express concerns over the financial implications of such a mandate on the state budget, apprehensive about whether the government can maintain this funding level without compromising other critical areas of public expenditure. As a result, discussions around HJR97 raise important questions about educational priorities and fiscal sustainability in Texas.
Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the state to pay at least 50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating the public school system and prohibiting the comptroller from certifying legislation containing an appropriation for public education unless the requirement is met.
Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the state to pay at least 50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating the public school system and prohibiting the comptroller from certifying legislation containing an appropriation for public education unless the requirement is met.
Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of funds to support the capital needs of educational programs offered by the Texas State Technical College System and certain component institutions of the Texas State University System and repealing the limitation on the allocation to the Texas State Technical College System and its campuses of the annual appropriation of certain constitutionally dedicated funding for public institutions of higher education.
Proposing a constitutional amendment prohibiting certain school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes on the fulfillment of certain conditions.
Proposing a constitutional amendment to remove the requirement that a home equity loan be closed only at the office of the lender, an attorney at law, or a title company.
Proposing a constitutional amendment to prohibit the imposition of school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes on residence homesteads, to increase the rates of state sales and use taxes and dedicate the revenue attributable to that increase for public education, and to establish and prescribe the permissible uses of the homeowner protection fund.
Proposing a constitutional amendment creating the state school safety fund to provide ongoing financial support for projects that ensure the safety of public schools in this state and providing for the transfer of certain general revenues to that fund, the economic stabilization fund, and the state highway fund.
To provide appropriations from the General Fund for the expenses of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Departments of the Commonwealth, the public debt and the public schools for the fiscal year July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and for the payment of bills incurred and remaining unpaid at the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023; to provide appropriations from special funds and accounts to the Executive and Judicial Departments for the fiscal year July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and for the payment of bills remaining unpaid at the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023; to provide for the appropriation of Federal funds to the Executive and Judicial Departments for the fiscal year July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and for the payment of bills remaining unpaid at the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023; and to provide for the additional appropriation of Federal and State funds to the Executive and Legislative Departments for the fiscal year July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, and for the payment of bills incurred and remaining unpaid at the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.