HOUSTON — The end of the legislative session is nearing and currently, the fate of property tax relief in Texas is largely in the hands of one man -- Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
KHOU 11 News tried reaching him Monday, but his office was awfully quiet on where things stand.
There's still uncertainty about how this will play out. Here's why.
"If they send a bill over, we're not doing appraisal caps, period end of story," said a defiant Patrick last month.
Flash forward to the end of May and the House sent the Senate a revised bill that includes exactly what the Lt. Governor was so strongly opposed to -- appraisal caps.
Late last week, the House unanimously passed a revamped version of SB 3, and it still includes an appraisal cap of 5%.
This latest House version offers taxpayers even more tax relief though. It would raise the homestead exemption to $100,000 for most homeowners, and seniors get even more. They get a $110,000 exemption.
So what does that mean for your property tax bill?
Under the new plan, the owner of a $350,000 home will save about $2,800 over the next two years. Texas seniors could save more than $3,000 over that same time frame.
That's more than the original Senate deal.
This latest property tax bill is now back in the Senate where one of two things can happen.
The Senate can approve the changes the House made or the bill goes to a conference committee where both sides can hash out their differences. The Lt. Governor and House Speaker were seen smiling together last Friday after the House vote. It's creating a bit of optimism that both sides will be able to reach a deal in time.
The legislative session ends on May 29.
June 18 is the last day Governor Abbott can sign or veto a bill, and if this does become law, the final say will be yours. Lowering your property taxes would be on the ballot in the November election.