Today Lt. Governor Patrick was joined Senator Jane Nelson, Chair of Senate Finance, Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa and Senator Kevin Eltife to announce the filing of bills that exempt appropriations for debt service and tax relief from the constitutional spending limit.
SB 15 and SJR 3 (Nelson), amend the Texas Constitution so that tax relief is no longer subject to the spending limit. Currently, under Article VIII of the Texas Constitution, any appropriation that is not dedicated by the Constitution is subject to the spending cap. This will be put before voters under SJR 3 on November 3, 2015.
SB 16 and SJR 4 (Hinojosa) states that revenue appropriated for the purpose of paying the principal of or interest on state debt is not subject to the Article VIII spending limit. This will be put before voters under SJR 4 on November 3, 2015.