A Texas lawmaker has filed legislation that would make it more difficult for school districts to secure approval for new bond debt.
House Joint Resolution 30, filed by State Rep. Mike Olcott (R-Aledo), proposes a constitutional amendment that would require approval from at least three-fifths of qualified voters in a school district bond election before the district could levy property taxes to repay the debt.
Under current law, school district bonds require approval from a simple majority of qualified voters participating in an election.
If approved by lawmakers, the proposed constitutional amendment would appear on the November 2, 2027, ballot for Texas voters to decide.
The proposal comes after voters across Texas rejected approximately 75 percent of local bond propositions and voter-approval tax rate elections (VATREs) during the November 3 election.
Among the rejected measures were billions of dollars in proposed school district debt, including Cypress-Fairbanks ISD’s $1.6 billion bond package, Irving ISD’s $952 million package, and Northside ISD’s $886 million proposal.
The results followed a May election cycle in which voters approved 63 percent of proposed bonds.
In its May 2026 Bond Election Report, the Texas Public Policy Foundation estimated that requiring 60 percent approval could have reduced total repayment costs by approximately $6.4 billion across the May election cycle.
For school districts specifically, researchers estimated the higher threshold would have eliminated approximately $5 billion in debt repayment while still allowing 63 of the 122 analyzed bond propositions to pass.
The report went even further, also recommending minimum voter turnout requirements, moving bond elections to November, and requiring ballots to disclose estimated repayment costs, including interest.
Olcott filed similar legislation during the last legislative session, but it did not receive a committee hearing.
HJR 30 would require approval from both chambers of the Legislature before being submitted to voters as a constitutional amendment.
