AUSTIN (CBSNewsTexas.com) – In this episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: June 1), political reporter Jack Fink covers the two major stories unfolding in the Texas Capitol: the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton and the political showdown between state Republican property tax leaders. relief
Each week, CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and catch new episodes live every Thursday and Friday at 7:00 PM on CBS News Texas.
Removal of Ken Paxton
In a historic vote, the Republican-majority Texas House of Representatives impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton last Saturday afternoon.
As a result, Paxton was immediately suspended from his job as the state’s top law enforcement officer pending the outcome of a trial in the Texas Senate. Two-thirds of the senators will have to vote to permanently remove him from office.
Members of the Texas House overseeing the impeachment process against the attorney general filed their case, accusing him of abusing his position and power to benefit himself and a businessman who made a donation in his campaign.
“Today is a sad and very difficult day for this House,” said Republican Rep. David Spiller of Jacksboro. He is one of five members of the General Investigative Committee that oversees the impeachment process.
Among the 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton they were abuse of public trust, unfit for office, dereliction of duty and constitutional bribery.
Lawmakers blamed Paxton himself as the reason they began investigating him in March. That’s when he applied for $3.3 million in taxpayer money to settle a whistleblower lawsuit filed against his office.
Finally, members of the House approved the impeachment by a margin of 121-23.
In a statement, Paxton called the impeachment “an ugly spectacle” and said it was “a farce that was politically motivated from the start.”
Two days after the Texas House impeached Paxton, members formally delivered the 20 articles of impeachment to the Senate and the 12 members who will serve in office. The Board of Directors was announced.
The group includes four Republican representatives from North Texas: Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, David Spiller of Jacksboro, Morgan Meyer of Dallas and Jeff Leach of Allen.
The Senate trial will begin on August 28 at the latest, but a specific date has not yet been set.
Ken Paxton’s ouster comes after years of legal trouble for the attorney general. Scroll through the timeline below to learn more about the big moments that got us to where we are now.
Political focus on property tax relief
Texas’ regular legislative session ended Monday without a deal on property tax relief for Texans. That night, Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back into an immediate special session.
The next day, the Texas House and Senate passed separate property tax relief bills.
Since then, a war of words has erupted between Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over key differences.
In a statement Tuesday evening, Abbott stood by the property tax relief bill passed hours earlier by the Texas House. It was called:
“The Texas House is the only chamber that passed a property tax relief bill that is related to the special session I called to provide Texans with property tax relief. It provides more cuts to property tax rates than any other proposal right now.It has the support of the state’s most respected think tank, as well as more than 30 property, consumer and business groups across the state. I look forward to signing it when it reaches my desk.”
After Abbott’s statement, Patrick responded with criticism:
“He appears to be misinformed about the roles of the executive and legislative branches of government. While the governor has the sole authority to call the legislature into session, the legislature writes the bills; the courts have been very clear on this . Governor Abbott has finally shown it. his cards. He chooses to give homeowners 50% less of a tax cut, almost $700 a year, to give more to corporations. That’s not what the owners expected when they voted for him.”
At the heart of the dispute: who should get relief and whether the property tax will be eliminated entirely.
Abbott prefers to eliminate the school maintenance and operations or “M&O” portion of your property taxes for ten years. That portion alone is about 42% of your property tax bill.
To make it possible, the state would shift sales taxes, other state revenue and surplus money to pay for public schools. This would allow the state to gradually reduce the rate of M&O property taxes until they are eliminated entirely.
But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate have a different plan.
While it uses more state revenue and less property taxes to pay for schools, it would also increase homestead exemptions for most homeowners from $40,000 to $100,000. And for homeowners over 65, it would increase property exemptions from $70,000 to $110,000. Patrick said it would provide nearly twice as much savings for homeowners as the governor’s plan.
Jack Fink
