★ ReferenceTexas Political
Texas Political
Glossary
The terms Austin reporters never define — special session, sunset review, recapture, M&O, point of order, and the rest of the Capitol's working vocabulary.
A
- Appraisal Review Board (ARB)
- Citizen panel that hears property tax protests at each County Appraisal District. Its decisions can be appealed to state district court. → How CADs Work
B
- Basic Allotment
- The per-student dollar amount the Legislature sets as the funding floor in the Foundation School Program. The lever that drives nearly every ISD funding formula.
- Biennium
- The two-year budget cycle Texas operates on. The Legislature appropriates funds for a biennium during each regular session.
C
- Calendars Committee
- The Texas House committee that schedules which bills reach the floor and when. A primary chokepoint in the legislative process.
- Chub
- House slang for stalling a bill with extended debate as a procedural deadline approaches — essentially talking it to death.
- Commissioners Court
- A Texas county's governing body: the county judge plus four precinct commissioners. Sets the county budget and tax rate.
- Compression
- State buy-down of school district Maintenance & Operations property tax rates. The mechanism behind most recent property tax 'relief' packages.
- Constitutional Amendment
- A voter-approved change to the Texas Constitution. Requires a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber plus a simple majority of statewide voters. → Amendment Process Guide
- Conference Committee
- Joint House-Senate panel that reconciles different versions of the same bill before a final vote.
- County Appraisal District (CAD)
- Independent local entity that sets market values on every property in the county for tax purposes.
E
- ERCOT
- Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Operates the electrical grid serving about 90% of Texas load. → ERCOT Explained
F
- Foundation School Program (FSP)
- The formula-driven mechanism that distributes state funding to Texas school districts.
H
- Homestead Exemption
- Property tax exemption that removes $100,000 from the value taxed by a school district on an owner-occupied primary residence. → Homestead Exemption Explained
J
- Joint Resolution
- A measure passed by both legislative chambers that proposes a constitutional amendment. Not subject to gubernatorial veto.
L
- Local & Consent Calendar
- House calendar for non-controversial bills, debated under time-limited rules to move them quickly.
M
- M&O Rate
- Maintenance & Operations property tax rate — the portion of an ISD tax rate that funds day-to-day operations (as opposed to debt service).
- MUD
- Municipal Utility District. A special local government created to provide water, sewer, and drainage to areas outside city limits.
O
- Open Primary
- A primary election in which voters do not pre-register with a party. Texas runs open primaries — you choose your party ballot on election day.
P
- Point of Order
- Parliamentary objection alleging a procedural violation. Can kill a bill on technical grounds.
R
- Recapture
- The 'Robin Hood' system that redirects property tax revenue from property-wealthy ISDs to property-poor ISDs through the state. → School Finance Explained
- Regular Session
- The 140-day legislative session that begins the second Tuesday of January in odd-numbered years.
- Rule of Capture
- The Texas common-law doctrine under which groundwater belongs to the surface landowner, who may pump to beneficial use.
S
- Special Session
- A 30-day session called by the Governor, limited to subjects the Governor lists in the call.
- Sunset Review
- Periodic legislative audit that automatically abolishes a state agency unless the Legislature reauthorizes it.
T
- Taxable Value
- The value of a property after exemptions are subtracted from the market value. The number tax rates are actually applied to.