Here are some of the statewide ballot initiatives that were on the ballot on Election Day and how Texans voted for them.
Proposition 2 – PASSED
Proposition 2 allows more water supply in parts of the state. The proposition will be paid for by bonds issued by the Texas Water Development Board to fund water and wastewater infrastructure in economically distressed parts of the state. It is estimated that over a hundred communities in Texas lack basic water and wastewater infrastructure, while hundreds more have infrastructure that is not up to code.
Proposition 4 – PASSED
Proposition 4 creates a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of an individual income tax, something Texas has long bragged about not having. The provision makes it much more difficult to impose one in the future.
Proposition 6 – PASSED
Proposition 6 increases the amount of bonds the Texas legislature could issue on behalf of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The current limit is $3 billion but Prop 6 will take it to $6 billion. This money will allow CPRIT to issue more funding for grants and other cancer research initiatives.
Proposition 8 – PASSED
Proposition 8 creates a separate fund specifically to deal with flooding. The Flood Infrastructure Fund would be used to both help communities recover from the effects of flooding and prepare for future floods. The fund will be created by setting aside $800 million out of Texas’s existing rainy day fund.
Proposition 10 – PASSED
Proposition 10 makes it easier for former handlers and qualified caretakers to adopt retired law enforcement dogs. Currently, K-9s are considered “government property” and under the law surplus government property must be destroyed, traded, sold or donated. This makes it difficult to transfer law enforcement dogs to their handlers when they retire.
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