Property Tax Bill Clears Hurdle, O'Rourke Releases His Taxes and Abbott Slams Dallas DA's Plan

Good morning!Here are the top political headlines from Austin, Washington, the campaign trail and Dallas.Points from Austin1. Legislation that would slow property tax bill increases for home and business owners cleared the Texas Senate on Monday, after the sole Republican opponent of the bill stepped aside to allow the vote.The vote was a victory for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a longtime proponent of property tax relief. He was again pitted against his political foil, Amarillo Sen. Kel Seliger, the only Republican who openly opposes the bill. Seliger held it up for weeks before changing his mind Monday morning and voting to allow the debate to proceed.Read more about what the bill intends to do.2. Gov. Greg Abbott is blasting the Dallas County district attorney's plan to decriminalize low-level offenses and decrease the use of excessive probation and bail, calling some of the measures "wealth redistribution by theft."Days after District Attorney John Creuzot released new guidelines to reform Dallas County's criminal justice system, Abbott tweeted Sunday that the plan makes stealing okay and is akin to socialism. Read more here.But the bill doesn't reduce your property taxes. Read more about what it's intended to do.  Continue reading...