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At the direction of Governor Abbott, and in support of local authorities’ requests for assistance, damaged infrastructure repairs, trash disposal, and damage assessments are ongoing. This week, the Governor encouraged Texans to report damage to homes and businesses from the ice storm using the Texas Individual Assessment Tool (iSTAT). The iSTAT Damage Survey can be completed online in English and Spanish by visiting Damage.tdem.texas.gov and clicking Ice Storm/Winter Weather 29January is ongoing.

Detailed information and photographs included in iSTAT Damage Reports help Emergency Management officials determine whether a state meets federal requirements for additional disaster relief.

The information provided also assists officials in determining resource requirements. Reporting a claim using the iSTAT survey is voluntary and does not replace reporting a claim to your insurance agency. This does not guarantee disaster relief.

IF YOUR PROPERTY DAMAGED IN A WINTER STORM

Last week, icing caused trees and large branches to fall in areas of North and Central Texas. If the damage is to your property, you may consider filing an insurance claim.

What should be done?

First, consider whether the cost of repairing or replacing the property covered by your policy is more than your down payment (deductible).

If so, Ben Gonzalez, spokesman for the Texas Insurance Department, recommends filing a claim immediately and documenting everything.

List all damaged property. You can also take photos or videos with your phone. Just walk around and show how much damage has been done.

Make temporary repairs where necessary. For example, if part of your fence has been torn down, fix it so the dog doesn’t run away. Also, take reasonable steps to prevent further damage.

For example, you need to close any broken windows or holes in the roof or things like skylights to keep rain out. Use plywood, a tarp, or whatever to cover these holes. You should also remove wet furniture or rugs from your home to prevent mold from growing inside, but don’t throw them away until your insurance company tells you to.

For any repairs you make, be sure to keep your receipts to add to your insurance claim.

Some insurance policies may cover temporary living expenses if your home is uninhabitable. Some cover the cost of food spoilage. Tree removal may be covered if the tree has fallen on your home or is blocking access to your home, such as if it has fallen on your driveway. Homeowners insurance or comprehensive car insurance can cover a tree falling on your car.

Will filing a claim affect insurance prices in the future? Gonzalez said filing a single weather-related incident claim would have a minimal impact on your insurance rates, though they could increase if you’ve filed multiple claims over the past few years.

TEXAS CHINA-LINKED COMPANY GRANT

The Biden administration’s decision to award a $200 million grant to Texas-based battery maker Microvast over its China ties is being scrutinized. Senators on both sides questioned the Biden administration’s decision.

Stafford-based Microvast plans to build a battery plant in Tennessee in partnership with US automaker General Motors, but currently manufactures batteries at a plant in China.

At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Senator John Barrasso, Wyoming, questioned whether a grant would benefit the Chinese battery industry, pointing to a 2021 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in which Microvast stated, “We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights in the People’s Republic of China.”

In order to operate in China, the government often requires foreign companies to cooperate with Chinese enterprises. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.V. , chairman of the committee, asked Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk what steps the administration is taking to protect US energy interests.

The issue of Microvast’s ties to China follows an attack by Republicans in the House of Representatives late last year on the Biden administration, in which they accused officials of supporting “pro-China policies” by pointing to a Microvast grant, as well as a report from the Department of Commerce that found that Chinese companies are circumventing U.S. tariffs on solar panels by routing their supply chains through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

After the hearing, Manchin told reporters that he was concerned that Chinese interests might own some of Microvast, even if the company still passed government scrutiny.

SNAP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Governor Greg Abbott announced Feb. 6 that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) will provide more than $345.9 million in food benefits through the Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP). ) for February as a final extension of benefits.

Congress recently passed legislation making February 2023 the last month that SNAP eligible households can receive emergency benefits. The allotments are expected to help about 1.6 million Texas households.

HHSC has received USDA federal approval to expand the maximum allowable SNAP benefit amount for recipients based on family size. All SNAP households will receive at least $95 for emergencies. This additional emergency allocation must appear in recipient accounts by February 28th.

In accordance with federal legislation passed by Congress, recipients will no longer receive additional benefits, and this benefit change cannot be appealed.

SNAP households can find out what their regular monthly benefit will be without emergency benefits by logging into their YourTexasBenefits.com account or mobile app. They can also call 2-1-1 option 2 for information.

SNAP, administered by HHSC, is a federal program that provides food assistance to eligible low-income families and individuals in Texas. Texans who need help can apply for benefits, including SNAP and Medicaid, at YourTexasBenefits.com or use the Your Texas Benefits mobile app to manage their benefits.

TEXAS VIEWS DIFFERENT

A new survey aimed to gauge public opinion among Texans on a number of controversial topics that could make it to the state legislature’s list this year, such as gender-sensitive child care and the definition of marriage in The Texas Constitution.

A survey conducted by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that Texans’ views varied greatly by party affiliation and demographic factors. For example, when asked about legislation proposed by State Representative Brian Slaton that would classify any gender-affirming care given to children who do not match their birth sex as child abuse, 57% of Texans expressed support. It was this particular proposal that received very strong support among Republicans and very strong opposition among Democrats.

The two most controversial questions in the survey were about confederate public holidays and the teaching of critical race theory at the college level.

55% of Texans support the abolition of Confederate Heroes’ Day, which now falls annually on January 19 and honors Confederate leaders such as General Robert E. Lee, as an official public holiday. In addition, a sizable minority of Texans – 48% – support a law that would strip public college and university professors of a permanent position if they teach critical racial theory.

Meanwhile, some results show that Texans have common positions along party lines. For example, 67% of Texans support a law that requires every school district in Texas to offer ethnic studies as required by the curriculum.

Most Republicans, as well as Democrats, supported a law by Rep. Tom Oliverson of Houston that would require publishers selling books to Texas public schools to include content ratings similar to those used for movies.

Finally, a majority of Texans supported changing the definition of marriage in the Texas Constitution so that marriage is no longer defined as a union between one man and one woman.

Future reports will look at support for legislation regulating marijuana, abortion, firearms, elections, immigration, and energy.

PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION FOR TENANTS

When it comes to figuring out what factors affect the value of an apartment, there are several well-known indicators among tenants: area, location, age of the complex.

For rental property owners, the calculation is slightly different. Things like insurance, repairs, mortgage payments, and payroll costs play a big role in managing rental properties, and according to a study by the National Apartment Association, the biggest factor of all is property taxes, accounting for up to 40% of all operating expenses.

When property taxes go up, homeowners often raise their rent in response. Of course, property owners always have the option to sell their property if taxes (or any other costs) become too burdensome, but the difficulty is that someone else comes to buy this property, and if they are going to maintain it as a rental property, they are still under the same pressure of those operating costs that translate into rent.

Generous property tax breaks can help landlords defer further rent increases.

The Texas Legislature is in session again, and the most important issue on the legislators’ agenda right now is figuring out what to do with the $32 billion budget surplus, and the issue with the most support is property tax exemption. Initial budget proposals from the Texas House of Representatives and the Senate allocated $15 billion for property tax relief.

WHY TEXAS IS SO HIGH REAL ESTATE TAXES

Homeowners in Texas pay some of the highest property taxes in the country. And state legislators know it. Now that they’re back in session, they’ve promised to partly solve the problem by spending $15 billion on property tax relief.

But why are taxes so high?

The answer is simple. Property taxes in Texas are so high because that’s the price we pay for having no income tax in our state.

Government tax systems are commonly viewed as a three-legged stool: one leg is property tax, the second leg is sales tax, and the third leg is personal income tax. But Texas is one of nine states, including Alaska and Florida, where there is no personal income tax. In fact, it never existed in Texas.

There is almost no chance that this will change. In fact, in 2019, lawmakers made it even harder to implement an income tax—it would now take two-thirds of the Legislature to approve it, as well as voter support in a statewide referendum.

Dick Lavin, senior tax analyst at the leftist think tank Every Texan, said property taxes account for about 50% of all taxes Texans pay each year.

Half of the property tax money raised goes to the state’s public schools. The rest goes to cities, counties, and special areas such as hospital or college districts.