Texas Tax Exemption for Higher Education Technology Corporations Amendment (2015)

Not on Ballot

This measure was not put
on an election ballot

## Contents

* 1 Text of measure
* 1.1 Ballot title
* 1.2 Constitutional changes
* 2 Opposition
* 2.1 Officials
* 3 Path to the ballot
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 Footnotes

The Texas Tax Exemption for Higher Education Technology Corporations Amendment  was not on the November 3, 2015 ballot in Texas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. The measure, upon voter approval, would have exempted research technology corporations created by public or private higher education institutions from personal property taxation.[1][2]

The measure would have defined a "university research technology corporation" as a "special-purpose corporation created to develop and commercialize technologies that are owned wholly or partly by a public or private institution of higher education in Texas or by a nonprofit medical center development corporation with members that are institutions of higher education in Texas."

The measure was introduced into the Texas Legislature by Rep. Gary Elkins (R-135) as House Joint Resolution 64.[3]

## Text of measure[edit]

### Ballot title[edit]

The proposed ballot title was:[1]

“  | The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of certain property owned by or leased to or by a university research technology corporation.[4] | ”

|
|

### Constitutional changes[edit]

See also: Article 8, Texas Constitution

The proposed amendment would have added a Section1-p to Article 8 of the Texas Constitution. The following text would have been added by the proposed measure's approval:[1]

Sec. 1-p.

(a) In this section, "university research technology corporation" means a special-purpose corporation created to develop and commercialize technologies that are owned wholly or partly by a public or private institution of higher education in this state or by a nonprofit medical center development corporation with members that are institutions of higher education in this state.

(b) The legislature by general law may exempt from ad valorem taxation:

(1) the ownership interest of a university research technology corporation in real and tangible personal property;
(2) the ownership interest of a nonprofit medical center development corporation in real and tangible personal property leased to or used or occupied primarily by a university research technology corporation; or
(3) the leasehold interest of a university research technology corporation in real and tangible personal property leased from a nonprofit medical center development corporation.

(c) The legislature may impose eligibility requirements for an exemption authorized by this section.[4]

## Opposition[edit]

### Officials[edit]

* Travis County Commissioners Court[5]

## Path to the ballot[edit]

See also: Amending the Texas Constitution

The proposed constitutional amendment was filed by Rep. Gary Elkins (R-135) as House Joint Resolution 64 on January 5, 2015.[3]

A two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Texas State Legislature was required to refer this amendment to the ballot. Texas is one of 16 states that require a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers. The Texas House of Representatives approved the amendment on April 27, 2015, with 131 representatives voting "yea" and nine voting "nay."[3] The measure was not approved by both chambers of the legislature.

## See also[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* Texas 2015 ballot measures
* 2015 ballot measures
* Texas Legislature

## External links[edit]

* House Joint Resolution 64

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Texas Legislature, "HJR No. 64," accessed January 23, 2015
2. ↑ Texas Legislature, "HJR No. 64 Analysis," accessed April 28, 2015
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Texas Legislature, "HJR No. 64 History," accessed January 23, 2015
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
5. ↑ Texas Legislature, "HJR No. 64 Witnesses," accessed April 28, 2015

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