Estimated Time to Read: 14 minutes
On November 4, 2025, Texas voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on 17 proposed constitutional amendments. These cover issues ranging from property tax relief and parental rights to judicial accountability and border security.
Each amendment must receive a majority of voter approval to become law.
Using the bill analyses we provided state lawmakers during the 89th Legislative Session, Texas Policy Research has compiled a ballot guide for Texans, which includes a brief summary of what each proposition entails as well as the vote recommendation and rationale we provided lawmakers.
Quick-Reference Vote Recommendations
Proposition 1 – Senate Joint Resolution 59
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would create two dedicated state funds to support infrastructure, land acquisition, and equipment for the Texas State Technical College System (TSTC), seeded with an initial $850 million from general revenue. These funds would operate outside the normal state budget and legislative oversight.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ❌ Vote No
Rationale: While expanding access to workforce education supports individual liberty and personal responsibility, embedding this preferential funding mechanism in the Constitution undermines limited government and transparency. A statutory approach with normal budget oversight would better uphold fiscal accountability.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 59
Proposition 2 – Senate Joint Resolution 18
Ballot Language: “The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust.”
Summary: This amendment would permanently prohibit the Texas Legislature from imposing any tax on capital gains, whether realized or unrealized. Texas currently does not have such a tax, so the measure functions as a safeguard to preserve the state’s existing low-tax structure.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: This measure upholds individual liberty, private property rights, and free enterprise by protecting Texans from future financial intrusion and double taxation. It strengthens Texas’s commitment to limited government and long-term economic competitiveness.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 18
Proposition 3 – Senate Joint Resolution 5
Ballot Language: “The constitutional amendment requiring the denial of bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony.”
Summary: This amendment would authorize judges to deny bail to individuals charged with a list of serious felonies, such as murder, aggravated assault, and human trafficking, if the state proves by clear and convincing evidence that release would endanger the public or risk flight. It embeds mandatory bail denial for certain charges into the state constitution, with limited discretion for judges.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ❌ Vote No
Rationale: While aimed at improving public safety, this amendment undermines individual liberty by expanding pretrial detention without conviction and curtails judicial discretion. It creates a rigid, constitutionally enshrined mandate that risks overreach, erodes due process, and expands the scope of government authority without adequate safeguards.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 5
Proposition 4 – House Joint Resolution 7
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would divert up to $1 billion per year in existing sales tax revenue into a new Texas Water Fund to support water infrastructure projects. The funding would occur automatically each year, bypassing the normal legislative appropriations process, and would continue until 2035 unless extended by the legislature.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ❌ Vote No
Rationale: While addressing water infrastructure is vital, this resolution undermines limited government and fiscal transparency by embedding automatic spending into the Constitution. It crowds out private-sector solutions, reduces future tax relief opportunities, and limits legislative accountability for long-term fiscal commitments.
Originating Legislation: House Joint Resolution 7
Proposition 5 – House Joint Resolution 99
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would give the Texas Legislature the authority to exempt animal feed held for retail sale from local property taxes. It does not require the exemption but permits future legislation to implement it, potentially correcting a tax inconsistency within the agricultural supply chain.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: By reducing a targeted tax burden on agricultural retailers, this measure promotes free enterprise and strengthens private property rights. Though exemptions should be used cautiously, this permissive amendment gives the Legislature flexibility to deliver fairer tax treatment without mandating new spending.
Originating Legislation: House Joint Resolution 99
Proposition 6 – House Joint Resolution 4
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would preemptively prohibit the Texas Legislature from imposing taxes on securities transactions or from creating new occupation taxes on registered financial market operators like brokers and exchanges. It aims to shield investors and financial institutions from future taxation in this space.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: This measure affirms limited government, free enterprise, and private property rights by protecting investment activity from targeted taxation. It preserves Texas’s pro-business climate without fiscal downside, safeguarding both institutional and individual investors from government interference.
Originating Legislation: House Joint Resolution 4
Proposition 7 – House Joint Resolution 133
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment allows the Legislature to exempt the homestead of a surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a presumed service-connected condition. The exemption would continue if the spouse remains unmarried and moves to a new qualifying homestead, carrying forward the previous tax relief.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: This measure honors the sacrifices of military families and protects individual liberty and property rights. While further exemptions complicate the tax system, this narrowly targeted relief is justified. It should, however, be accompanied by broader property tax reform to maintain equity and simplicity.
Originating Legislation: House Joint Resolution 133
Proposition 8 – House Joint Resolution 2
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would permanently prohibit the Texas Legislature from imposing estate, inheritance, or gift taxes. Texas does not currently levy such taxes, so this measure acts as a safeguard to prevent future reintroduction.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: Proposition 8 reinforces private property rights, personal liberty, and limited government by ensuring Texans are free to transfer wealth without punitive taxation. It prevents future overreach, supports family financial stability, and protects generational business continuity without affecting current revenues.
Originating Legislation: House Joint Resolution 2
Proposition 9 – House Joint Resolution 1
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would allow the Legislature to exempt up to $250,000 of the market value of income-generating personal property, such as business equipment or tools, from local property taxes. The exemption would ease the tax burden on small businesses and the self-employed.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: By reducing taxes on productive assets, this amendment promotes free enterprise, supports private property rights, and aligns with limited government principles. It provides targeted relief to small businesses and entrepreneurs, encouraging investment and job creation without imposing direct costs on the state.
Originating Legislation: House Joint Resolution 1
Proposition 10 – Senate Joint Resolution 84
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would give the Legislature authority to provide a temporary property tax exemption for homesteads that are entirely destroyed by fire. The exemption would apply only to the value of the destroyed structure, not the land, and would be implemented through future legislation.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: Proposition 10 upholds individual liberty and private property rights by ensuring homeowners are not taxed on homes that no longer exist. It allows narrowly tailored, compassionate relief without mandating new programs or increasing government scope, consistent with limited government principles.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 84
Proposition 11 – Senate Joint Resolution 85
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would authorize the Legislature to raise the additional school property tax exemption for elderly and disabled homeowners from $10,000 to $60,000. The increased exemption would reduce school district taxes for qualifying individuals and would be offset by state funds to maintain district funding levels.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ❌ Vote No
Rationale: While compassionate in intent, this measure shifts the tax burden onto younger and non-exempt Texans, expands state spending commitments without reform, and erodes tax equity. True relief should come through comprehensive reform—not piecemeal exemptions that weaken limited government and fiscal discipline.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 85
Proposition 12 – Senate Joint Resolution 27
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would expand and restructure the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC), increasing its membership and public representation, while enhancing its ability to issue public sanctions against judges. It also introduces new powers, including the authority to suspend judges upon indictment for certain crimes.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: Proposition 12 promotes transparency, public accountability, and personal responsibility within the judiciary by broadening citizen oversight and strengthening enforcement of judicial ethics.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 27
Proposition 13 – Senate Joint Resolution 2
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would raise the school district property tax exemption on homesteads from $100,000 to $140,000, reducing taxable home values and offering tax relief to homeowners. The state would reimburse school districts for the resulting loss in revenue.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes (with reservations)
Rationale: While this amendment provides short-term relief for homeowners, it does so by shifting the burden onto renters, small businesses, and non-exempt property owners. Broader tax reform, such as permanent M&O rate compression, would deliver more equitable and lasting relief across all Texans.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 2
Proposition 14 – Senate Joint Resolution 3
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would create a new state-run medical research institute and permanently dedicate $3 billion from general revenue, plus up to $300 million annually, for research and infrastructure related to dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. The fund would exist outside the state’s regular spending cap.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ❌ Vote No
Rationale: While well-intentioned, this amendment expands the scope and permanence of government by embedding medical research funding into the Constitution. It bypasses the appropriations process, undermines limited government, and risks crowding out private innovation in healthcare without clear fiscal safeguards or performance accountability.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 3
Proposition 15 – Senate Joint Resolution 34
Ballot Language: “The constitutional amendment affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children.”
Summary: This amendment would enshrine in the Texas Constitution the inherent right of parents to care for and make decisions about their children’s upbringing. It would restrict state or local government interference unless justified by a compelling government interest using the least restrictive means.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: Proposition 15 affirms individual liberty, personal responsibility, and limited government by codifying parental rights and ensuring state action is narrowly constrained. It empowers families to guide their children’s upbringing without unwarranted interference from public institutions.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 34
Proposition 16 – Senate Joint Resolution 37
Ballot Language: “The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.”
Summary: This amendment would explicitly state in the Texas Constitution that only U.S. citizens may vote in Texas elections. While current law already limits voting to citizens, this measure codifies that restriction in the Constitution to prevent future legal or policy changes allowing non-citizen voting.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: Proposition 16 affirms individual liberty and limited government by clearly tying voting rights to citizenship and civic responsibility. It acts as a constitutional safeguard with minimal fiscal impact, reinforcing electoral integrity and state sovereignty.
Originating Legislation: Senate Joint Resolution 37
Proposition 17 – House Joint Resolution 34
Ballot Language: “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: This amendment would allow the Legislature to exempt from property taxation any increase in value to land in Texas border counties that results from the addition of border security infrastructure. It is a narrowly tailored measure meant to avoid penalizing landowners for voluntary security-related improvements.
Texas Policy Research Recommendation: ✅ Vote Yes
Rationale: Proposition 17 respects private property rights, individual liberty, and limited government by preventing tax penalties for landowners who choose to invest in border security. While exemptions should be used sparingly, this one is well-targeted and permissive, offering relief without expanding state programs or spending.
Originating Legislation: House Joint Resolution 34
Texas Policy Research relies on the support of generous donors across Texas.
If you found this information helpful, please consider supporting our efforts! Thank you!
