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Dear Neighbor: On Tuesday, November 6, voters will decide on 16 amendments to the Texas Constitution. Unlike the U. S. Constitution, our Texas Constitution is a very long and detailed document. Voters are often called upon to make changes to the Texas Constitution and have approved more than 400 changes since its original adoption in 1876. Proposed amendments go to the voters if they are first approved by two-thirds of the members of both the Texas House and the Texas Senate. The governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment. That right is left to the voters of the state. The amendments on the upcoming ballot cover a wide range of issues, from important to relatively trivial. Propositions 2, 4, 12, 15 and 16 would authorize the state to borrow money for various programs and projects, with different amounts of risk and costs to state taxpayers. I authored Proposition 3, which fixes a loophole that caused some taxpayers to see 30% increases in their property taxes, even though they thought they were limited to the 10% cap I helped pass in 1997. I've provided a page of information for each amendment, which you can read by clicking the corresponding link on the right side of this page. On each page, I've included a summary of what the amendment does, some arguments for and against its passage, and links to more detailed information as well as the exact wording of the changes to the Constitution that each amendment would make. I do not recommend how you should vote on these proposals, but rather provide information so you can make informed decisions. If you have questions or need more information, you can read a much more detailed summary of all of the propositions from the House Research Organization (a nonpartisan office of the Texas House of Representatives) or you may contact me by e-mail. Sincerely, State Representative Scott Hochberg

Click below for details on any proposition: (All Amendments Passed) Proposition 1: Correcting the Constitution to list Angelo State University as part of the Texas Tech system to match a change made by the Legislature. PASSED 66% in favor. Proposition 2: Authorizing $500 million in additional state bonds for college student loans. PASSED 66% in favor. Proposition 3: Clarifying that the appraised value of a homestead for property taxes cannot increase by more than 10% in any year, even if more than a year has passed since the home was last appraised. PASSED 71% in favor. Proposition 4: Authorizing $1 billion in additional state bonds for prisons, DPS, mental health facilities and other state projects. PASSED 58% in favor. Proposition 5: Allowing small towns to grant tax breaks for downtown development if approved by local voters. PASSED 66% in favor. Proposition 6: Exempting motor vehicles used in business from property tax if they are also used for personal purposes. PASSED 74% in favor. Proposition 7: Allowing property that was sold to the government through eminent domain to be bought back by the seller at the original sales price if the government does not use the property. PASSED 80% in favor. Proposition 8: Changing the consumer protections for home equity loans. PASSED 78% in favor. Proposition 9: Exempting totally disabled veterans from property taxes. PASSED 86% in favor. Proposition 10: Abolishing the office of inspector of hides and animals PASSED 77% in favor. Proposition 11: Requiring how each legislator voted on the final vote on most legislative bills to be recorded and posted on the Internet PASSED 85% in favor. Proposition 12: Authorizing $5 billion in additional state bonds for highways. PASSED 63% in favor. Proposition 13: Allowing judges to deny bail to defendents in family violence cases who violate certain conditions of their initial release on bail. PASSED 84% in favor. Proposition 14: Allowing judges to serve their entire term of office even if they reach the mandatory retirement age while serving. PASSED 75% in favor. Proposition 15: Authorizing $3 billion in bonds for a new program to fund cancer research. PASSED 61% in favor. Proposition 16: Authorizing $250 million in additional state bonds for water and sewers in existing subdivisions that were developed with inadequate facilities. PASSED 61% in favor.