Several GOP priorities garner support in poll.

(Dallas, Texas, May 23, 2023) — According to new statewide polling from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation (TxHPF), at least 85 percent of Texans support both Senate Bill 3, which would increase the residential homestead exemption from $40,000 to $70,000 (if under age 65) or to $100,000 (65 and older), and House Bill 2, which would decrease the yearly appraisal cap from 10% to 5% for residential property and extend this benefit to commercial property.

Conducted earlier this month, the poll found support for Republican leaders’ approach to several issues that have been front and center at this year’s session of the Texas Legislature.

When forced to choose between SB 3 and HB 2, 50% of Texans opt for SB 3 and 38% for HB 2, with 12% of Texans opposing both property tax relief proposals.

“Texans certainly support property-tax relief,” said TxHPF President Jason Villalba, a former State Representative from Dallas. “There is more support for expanding the homestead exemption than there is for lower appraisal caps, but both ideas are very popular. Given the significant burdens that high property taxes place on Texas families, it should come as no surprise that both the Senate and the House tax proposals receive strong bipartisan support. The data from this report makes that clear.”

The tax issue is one of several being hashed out between leaders of the Texas House and Senate as the May 29 end of the regular legislative session draws near.

Another issue in the spotlight during the Legislature’s final week is that of sending students to private schools with taxpayer dollars, which is also known as private-school vouchers or Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). 58% of Texans support (25% strongly) and 42% oppose (29% strongly) legislation similar to the bill that the Texas Senate approved to create widely available Education Savings Accounts. The poll found that 70% of Black Texans support SB 8 compared to 59% of Hispanic and 55% of white Texans. And, the poll found majority support for SB 8 was relatively equal across the state, with residents in rural and semi-rural counties just as likely to support SB 8 as residents of suburban and urban counties.

Texans voice support in the poll for several high-profile bills that social conservatives have championed throughout the session, including:

• 66% of Texans support (55% strongly) Senate Bill 14, which would prohibit medical professionals from providing puberty-inhibiting drugs, cross-sex hormones and surgical interventions to children under the age of 18. One-third (34%) of Texans oppose (26% strongly) SB 14.
• 70% of Texans support (54% strongly) Senate Bill 15, which would prohibit Texas public university athletic teams from allowing a student to compete on a team designated for one biological sex if that student’s biological sex is opposite that designated for the team. One third (30%) of Texans oppose (18% strongly) SB 15.
• 64% of Texans support (49% strongly) Senate Bill 12 that would classify drag shows as sexually oriented performances, which would prohibit individuals under the age of 18 from attending. One third (36%) of Texans oppose (27% strongly) SB 12.

“Texans tend to support the socially conservative bills that state and legislative leaders are pushing this year,” said Dr. Mark Jones, TxHPF Director of Research and Analytics. “While these bills generate a very contentious debate and some fierce opposition, they are supported by fairly wide margins when you look at all Texas voters.”

Texans voice stronger support in the poll for Gov. Greg Abbott’s handling of the situation at the Texas-Mexico border than President Joe Biden’s handling of that situation. In fact, the poll found strong support for a number of specific border policies that Abbott and other Republican leaders have championed:

• 74% of Texans support (52% strongly) sending the Texas National Guard to patrol the border.
• 74% of Texans support (48% strongly) the creation of a Texas Border Protection Unit.
• 71% of Texans support (46% strongly) sending DPS officers to patrol the border.
• 62% of Texans support (46% strongly) Texas building a border wall.
• 60% of Texans support (37% strongly) Texas spending $2.5-$3.0 billion a year on border security.

“Hispanic Texans are less likely to support all five border security policies than are white and Black Texans, but more than three-fifths of Hispanics still support sending the Texas National Guard and DPS to patrol the border and creating a Texas border patrol unit,” Dr. Jones said. “Border security and immigration continue to be priority issues for many Texas voters, and Texans tend to support the Governor’s approach.”

This is the first report of three drawing on a survey of 1,000 Texas registered voters carried out between May 8 and May 17 of 2023 (confidence interval of +/- 2.9%). The responses are weighted to provide a population that is representative of Texas registered voters.

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About the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation operates as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated and committed to analyzing and exploring the political, economic, social, demographic, and familial attitudes and behaviors of Texas Hispanics. The Foundation conducts surveys, polls, research, data collection and analysis concerning the Hispanic population in Texas. You can find more information about the Foundation at www.TxHPF.org.

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