Ashby reviews propositions 10 and 11

By Rep. Trent Ashby
District 9 Representative

This week, I formally announced my intention to seek re-election as the State Representative for House District 9. As a lifelong East Texan, I have been proud to serve as a voice for the Deep East Texas region in the Texas House. Though we have achieved a great deal, I believe there is more work to be done to secure our southern border, support our teachers and students, cut property taxes, generate greater economic stability for local job creation, and preserve rural values and interests in a rapidly growing state. It is the honor of a lifetime to represent the folks of House District 9, and I am committed to continuing to provide effective conservative leadership to ensure our rural family values drive Texas forward.

With that, here’s this week’s Capitol Update …

This week we’ll dive into propositions 10 and 11 as we continue our weekly examination of propositions that will be on the ballot in November.

Proposition 10 would provide medical and biomedical manufacturers with an exemption from certain property taxes. As our state continues to grow, state leaders and lawmakers have made it a priority to reduce our reliance on foreign countries for essential goods. Proposition 10 seeks to advance this effort by creating an incentive for medical and biomedical manufacturing companies to operate here in Texas. You might be interested to know that most medical and biomedical manufacturing is located abroad, and the cost of shipping medical supplies to the U.S. has increased by over 50% since 2021. By reducing the tax burden on medical manufacturers located in Texas, we create an incentive for companies to relocate to Texas while also reducing the cost for consumers and creating thousands of Texas jobs.

Simply put, Proposition 11 does not impact our local communities in any way. This proposition adds El Paso County to the list of existing counties in the Texas Constitution that the legislature may authorize as a conservation and reclamation district for the purpose of developing and financing parks and other recreational facilities with certain tax revenue. Ultimately, this amendment provides for the issuance of bonds funded by taxes in districts located wholly, or partly, in El Paso County. To be clear, should this amendment pass, local voters in El Paso County would still have to vote to approve any proposed bond package, but this would in no way affect East Texas or any other Texas county.

The mobile office is on the road again and our district director will look forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: Oct. 11 at the Polk County Commissioners Courtroom in Livingston from 9-11 a.m. or the Tyler County Commissioner Courtroom in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 p.m., Oct. 18 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9-11 a.m. or the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at 936-634-2762 and our Capitol office at 512-463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my official Facebook page, where I will post regular updates on what’s happening in your State Capitol and share information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.