The Texas Legislature adjourned its second special session this week without delivering the broad property tax relief many conservatives had demanded. Lawmakers advanced some conservative priorities, but the failure to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, punish Democrats for breaking quorum earlier in the summer, or enact significant property tax reform left activists and legislators alike disappointed.
Among the measures approved was the Texas congressional redistricting bill that set off a national firestorm; it will likely take five seats away from Democrats and give them to Republicans.
The Texas attorney was also given the authority to prosecute election crime, overturning a decision by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that stripped the office of that ability. It will also now be harder to get abortion pills in Texas, although how effective the law will be is still unknown. And Texas will now be able to get Ivermectin over the counter in order to get around the many doctors and pharmacists who made accessing the medicine difficult for many.
But property tax relief—the issue Governor Greg Abbott made the centerpiece of his call—proved the most contentious. Senate Bill 10, the main tax measure considered, placed limits on local government property tax increases. Yet critics inside and outside the chamber said the bill’s scope was far too narrow.
SB 10 came out of the Texas Senate with little benefit to property owners. Rep. Mitch Little (R-Lewisville) noted that it would not reduce his constituent's property taxes at all and would merely reduce their increases from about $11 to $15 a year.
During debate in the Texas House, however, two amendments significantly expanded its benefits for taxpayers. Yet, the Senate would not concur the House amendments, stripping out the increased property tax relief. After the House rejected the Senate’s stripped-down version, the Senate refused to budge, and the legislation died.
Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) about the Senate’s version of the bill, “They’re not debating whether to eliminate your property taxes. They’re not debating whether to give you a big property tax cut. They’re not even debating whether to give you a small property tax cut. The fact of the matter is Senate Bill 10 is a bill that will allow for the automatic increase in your property tax bills.”
🚨 Texas Rep Brian Harrison exposing Texas politicians spent the day secretly working to increase property taxes on a bill that was meant to cut property taxes
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) September 3, 2025
“Update from the floor. We are debating right now the Senate's property tax relief bill, SB10 right now. But let me… pic.twitter.com/dv75Urygtf
Rep. Andy Hopper (R-Denton) summed up his concerns after voting against the final version of SB 10: “One of those amendments subjected municipal utility districts to limits by this bill, which would have made a tremendous difference for many rural Texans. For this reason, I am voting to not adopt the conference committee report and believe this bill should go back to conference committee.”
Rep. Katrina Pierson (R-Rockwall) pointed out that the Senate version excluded her constituents: “The bill returned from the Senate eliminated every single municipality in Rockwall County. All families in my district deserve the same property tax guardrails as the rest of the state.”
Rep. Jared Richardson summarized the frustration more bluntly: “SB 10 only affects five percent of taxing districts. We need tax relief for 100 percent of Texans”.
Outside the Capitol, conservative groups voiced sharp criticism. Texans for Fiscal Responsibility declared on social media, “The legislature fails once again to provide real property tax relief AND fails to pass a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying”.
Grassroots America, one of the state’s largest conservative organizations, echoed that sentiment: “Who’s Protecting Taxpayer-funded Lobbyists in Texas? Here we are again. FACT: 2020 Republican Primary Ballot, 94.3% voted to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying in Austin. Republican politicians have now ignored the will of the voters for three legislative sessions”.
Bo French, chairman of the Tarrant County GOP, was more direct: “No property tax relief. No ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying. Nothing done to curtail the threat of Islam”.
Pastor and businessman Jeremy Story linked taxpayer-funded lobbying to rising tax burdens, pointing to the Texas Association of School Boards. “It has a direct impact on preventing lowering property taxes,” he said, adding, “It’s amazing that anyone thinks taxes should pay for lobbying against the general public’s interest”.
Conservatives also bristled at the Legislature’s decision not to punish Democrats who broke quorum earlier this summer to block legislation. Apart from daily fines levied during the standoff, lawmakers declined to pursue harsher sanctions such as stripping committee assignments or expelling members. For many activists, the lack of consequences reinforced the sense that Republican leadership failed to wield its majority effectively.
Governor Abbott has not yet indicated whether he will call a third special session this year. With the 2026 primaries approaching, pressure from the Republican grassroots to deliver on longstanding promises—particularly broad property tax relief and banning taxpayer-funded lobbying—is likely to intensify.
For now, the session closes with conservatives claiming partial victories but a growing sense that the most pressing issues remain unresolved.
