Bills seek tax-free college textbooks, pay boost for public school employees
A Texas state representative and senator have filed separate bills to raise pay for public education employees and implement a tax-free holiday on textbooks for university or college students.
House Bill 164, which calls for exempting textbooks purchased, used or consumed by university and college students from sales and use taxes for limited periods, was filed by state Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) on Dec. 14, 2022.
The bill would provide a weeklong, tax-free holiday for textbooks at the beginning of the semesters to provide college and university students financial relief.
Canales said students can pay up to $1,000 for textbooks per semester. Students are paying between $80 and $100 in sales taxes, with the proceeds split between state and local governments, he said.
“But that [$80 to $100] did not come out of [students’] pockets,” Canales said. “It came from a loan. And so the reality is once you start adding banking fees, interest, etc., it’s hard to fathom why our state subsidizes education or our community college and universities while taxing the tools that the students are using in the process. So, it’s a small but common sense step in the right direction to make college a little bit more affordable.”
He said committee assignments were given last Thursday and the bill will get referred to a committee where the speaker will determine whether it pertains to it.
“This [bill] will probably go to State Affairs or Ways & Means, which are two very, very high-level committees, which have lots and lots of bills,” Canales said. “Getting the bill heard in those committees is often difficult. But nevertheless, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
He recommends that students stay informed on bills that deal with campus safety, funding for schools and digital textbooks.
Canales advises students to not underestimate their capacity to bring change in Texas and the world they live in.
“The Legislature touches everything from the tires on your car to the fuel you put in your tank, to the buttons on your shirt, to the way people are paid, the hourly wages to education,” he said, “And so there’s no one legislator who knows everything. In fact, it’s generally the people that are the experts in those fields that we depend on.
“And so when changes need to be made, they won’t happen unless the people who are experts in those fields come and tell us. I encourage all college students to realize they have an incredible power to change the world they live in and the policies around it if they’d only speak up.”
Senate Bill 695, filed Feb. 3 by state Sen. Morgan LaMantia (D-Brownsville), would increase salary and wages paid to public school employees.
The Rider asked Lucero Sauceda, LaMantia’s legislative aide and scheduler, for an interview with LaMantia on Feb. 6, but she said LaMantia was not available.
However, LaMantia sent a statement to The Rider via email on Feb. 8.
“Our teachers are responsible for developing the next generation of leaders, and it is no question that they are underpaid in relation to the value of their service,” she wrote in the email. “The future of the Texas workforce is in their hands. As a state, if we wish to be successful in the future, we must invest in our teachers and public school employees in the present. I hope that SB 693 can be the foundation of future legislation that solidifies in the hearts and minds of our educators that the Texas Legislature truly appreciates their commitment to the students of Texas.”
