Lowering Costs and Taxes For Texans
Charles Schwertner will continue to fight to cut property taxes and believes more work must be done to bring down rates once and for all. This last session, he joint-authored legislation that would increase the homestead exemption to $200,000 for seniors and $140,000 for non-seniors. He also helped pass laws that compress the maintenance and operations tax rate, empower property owners with tools to challenge and participate in their appraisal process, and rein in out-of-control city and county spending by capping how much they can increase the tax rate without voter approval. Schwertner also co-sponsored the constitutional amendment making it illegal for Texas to impose a state income tax.
Charles Schwertner is also fighting to make insurance affordable again. He authored a bill which would have required insurers to get state approval before raising home or auto rates by more than 10 percent, and voted for laws ending forced bundling of home and auto policies and requiring insurers to explain in writing why they deny or cancel coverage.
Fighting Human Trafficking and Protecting Children
For years, most human trafficking offenses in Texas were treated as second-degree felonies, with the offense increased to a first-degree felony only under certain conditions. Charles Schwertner believed that was not nearly enough, especially for those who exploit and traffic children. That’s why he voted to make every human trafficking crime in Texas a first-degree felony, punishable by up to life in prison, and to make criminals who traffic children ineligible for parole.
Protecting Texans from dangerous uses of AI
Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than ever. When left unchecked, it can be used to harm Texans, including our children. As Chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, Charles Schwertner sponsored and led the passage of legislation that bans the use of AI to manipulate people into self-harm or crime, prohibits government "social scoring," and stops AI from being used to create child sexual abuse material and explicit deepfakes. Texas families are safer because of it.
Standing Up for Small Businesses
Charles Schwertner knows that small businesses are the heart of our economy, but rising costs are making it harder for them to keep their doors open. That’s why he is fighting so they can grow, hire, and keep more of what they earn. Schwertner voted to raise the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000, so many small businesses will no longer pay tax on their inventory, equipment, and supplies. He also voted to raise the franchise tax exemption from $1.23 million to $2.47 million in revenue and continues to fight for policies that will stop the rising costs on our local small businesses.
Safeguarding Texas Children
In the digital age, children face growing threats from online predators and Big Tech platforms. Charles Schwertner voted for laws that keep kids safe online, including age verification, stronger default protections for minors, and tools that put parents in control of what their kids access online.
Schwertner has also worked to protect Texas children by increasing funding for Child Protective Services and fighting to protect children at risk of abuse or neglect.
Holding Data Centers Accountable
Charles Schwertner supports and welcomes responsible economic growth, but he believes growth must come with accountability, communities must have a voice, and we must protect what makes Texas great. He coauthored legislation that requires data centers and other large power users to pay their fair share of the costs of connecting to the Texas grid, so homes and small businesses aren't left holding the bill. He will pass laws in the next legislative session that ensure data centers respect and do not burden our communities, infrastructure, and natural resources.
Investing in Our Teachers and Schools
As a public school graduate himself and father of three graduates, Charles Schwertner knows the importance of classroom excellence. He helped deliver the largest increase in public education funding in Texas history, raised teacher pay, and passed legislation expanding career and technical education so students can pursue high-demand jobs immediately after graduation.
Protecting Seniors from Abuse
As a physician, Charles Schwertner believes seniors deserve dignity and protection. That’s why he took on bad nursing homes and fought to protect seniors from abuse and neglect. His legislation established a "three strikes" policy that requires the Texas Health and Human Services Long-term Care Division, which regulates Texas nursing homes, to revoke a nursing home's operating license after three serious violations of abuse or neglect of a senior.
Protecting Texas Land and Private Property Rights
Charles Schwertner comes from six generations of farmers, ranchers, and landowners and has witnessed how eminent domain can easily be abused. That's why he authored legislation that permanently protects the private property rights of all Texans against big government abuses of eminent domain.
Schwertner also joint-authored legislation to stop the threat posed by foreign adversaries like China, who have tried to gain a foothold in our state by buying up our farmland and land near military bases.
Protecting the Integrity of our Elections
Charles Schwertner believes that safeguarding the integrity of our elections is essential to preserving the foundation of our Constitutional Republic. That's why he helped pass the strongest election integrity legislation in the nation that prevents ballot harvesting and guarantees that only legal ballots are counted. Schwertner is committed to ensuring that Texans have trust and confidence in our election system.
Securing Our Border and Keeping Communities Safe
Texas families deserve safe communities, and Charles Schwertner believes it's common sense to focus immigration enforcement on criminals. That's why he authored Texas' 287(g) law, which requires sheriffs who run county jails to partner with federal immigration authorities to help identify criminals who are in the country illegally and remove them from our communities.
Additionally, Charles Schwertner helped secure over $6 billion to defend our southern border and passed legislation to give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on drug cartels, terrorists, and human smugglers. Schwertner also passed legislation that requires all state agencies to participate in the E-Verify program, ensuring that the State of Texas does not hire illegal immigrants.
