AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) voted early Friday morning for the Texas House’s passage of the 2026–2027 state budget, calling it a major win for taxpayers and a strong step forward for West Texas.
“This budget is a clear reflection of our conservative principles,” Landgraf said. “We’re delivering meaningful tax relief, investing in critical infrastructure and Texas public school children, and doing it all while staying well below every constitutional and statutory spending limit. That’s what responsible governing looks like—and it’s exactly what Texans expect and deserve.”
The House-approved version of the proposed budget comes in at $16 billion under the General Revenue limit and $3 billion under the constitutional cap on spending, meaning that billions of surplus dollars will be returned to Texas taxpayers.
“We’re putting real dollars behind the priorities that matter most—lower property taxes, stronger public schools, safer communities, and reliable infrastructure,” Landgraf said. “And we’re doing it all without growing government relative to the state’s population, or placing new burdens on taxpayers. Contrary to some false narratives, this budget does not allocate funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or any so-called 'woke' initiatives. Every dollar spent is dedicated to core services that directly benefit Texans, with the rest being returned to the taxpayers.”
The budget dedicates $51 billion to property tax relief—an $11 billion increase from the previous budget—and preserves the $100,000 homestead exemption while compressing school district tax rates.
More than $9 billion in new funding is directed toward public education, bringing total K-12 funding to over $100 billion for the first time in Texas history. The budget also reserves funds for education savings accounts, school safety upgrades, and teacher insurance relief.
Additional investments include $6.5 billion for law enforcement and border security, $30 billion to build, maintain and repair highways and $2.5 billion to fix aging water infrastructure, just to name a few of the budget’s highlights.
“This budget positions Texas for long-term success while keeping our fiscal house in order,” Landgraf said. “It reflects my goal to keep Texas the best state in America in which to live, work and raise a family, and I’m proud to support it on behalf of the people of the Permian Basin.”
Now that both the House and Senate have passed their respective versions of the budget, lawmakers from both chambers will begin working together to reconcile the differences and deliver a unified spending plan before the end of the session.
Landgraf will continue to work throughout the budgeting process to ensure that the people of West Texas receive their fair share of state funding.