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Texas bill would make registrants inelegible for right granted all Texas citizens

Texas HB 3499 , authored by Rep. Vincent Perez, will remove the homestead exemption from the property tax responsibility of Texas’ registered citizens—every one of them homeowners occupying the property. What follows is the body of an email send to Rep. Perez the morning of Feb. 28.

 

This bill will hurt children and families. Many registrants, and especially those who own the property where they live, have families. Any financial support taken from these registrants will mean less financial support for their families and the children of those families.

While statistics show that approximately 95% of all registrants will never commit another offense, registrants who have become homeowners are the most likely to have fully integrated into their communities as stable, contributing, responsible, law-abiding citizens. This legislation is a slap in the face to them and suggests to them that they have embraced their lifestyles in vain.

Legislation providing homeowners an added measure of protection is well ingrained in Texas’ history. The first homestead act was passed in 1839 to encourage home ownership and protect families from foreclosure. It is one of the oldest and most comprehensive homestead protection systems in the United States. The amount of the homestead exemption granted Texans for their property taxes is increased on a regular basis, showing the value placed by government on home ownership in Texas.

This proposed legislation starts to tear down something that is part of Texas’ heritage. This legislation serves two purposes: to increase the amount of taxes paid to the state and to punish even further a group of citizens who have already, some 30 or more years ago, accepted responsibility and been punished for their crimes through a criminal justice system that has rehabilitation as its end goal. This legislation is wrong on so many levels.

It is just plain wrong.

Sandy Rozek

Written by 

Sandy, a NARSOL board member, is communications director for NARSOL, editor-in-chief of the Digest, and a writer for the Digest and the NARSOL website. Additionally, she participates in updating and managing the website and assisting with a variety of organizational tasks.

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