Texas Proposition 14, Establish Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Amendment (2025)

Texas Proposition 14
Election date November 4, 2025
Topic Administrative organization and Healthcare governance
Status On the ballot
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Texas Proposition 14, the Establish Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Amendment, is on the ballot in Texas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 4, 2025.

A "yes" vote supports amending the state constitution to establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas with $3 billion from the general fund.

A "no" vote opposes amending the state constitution to establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas with $3 billion from the general fund.

Overview

What would the amendment do?

See also: Measure design

The amendment would establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas in the state constitution and authorize the state comptroller to allocate $3 billion from the general fund to the Dementia Prevention and Research fund created by the amendment to fund the institute. The amendment would task the institute with researching causes, means of prevention, and treatments for dementia and dementia-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Have Texans voted on any similar amendments?

See also: Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Texas voters approved a similar amendment to establish a state Cancer Prevention and Research Institute in 2007, with 61.4% of voters supporting the amendment. The institute was tasked with making grants to research the cause, develop cures, and find prevention protocols for cancer. Proposition 15 allowed the Texas Public Finance Authority to authorize $3 billion in general obligation bonds, which were used for the institute's operation and grants. Under Proposition 15, no more than $300 million in bonds could be authorized per year. In 2019, Texas voters increased the bond amount from $3 billion to $6 billion with the approval of Proposition 6 by a margin of 64.0% to 36.0%.

Who supports and opposes this amendment?

See also: Support and Opposition

The amendment received endorsements from AARP Texas, Alzheimer’s Association, Texas Assisted Living Association, Texas Medical Association, Baylor Scott & White Health, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Texas Children’s Hospital during the legislative process. The amendment also received unanimous support from voting Democrats and 79.8% from voting Republicans during the referral process. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said, "I created DPRIT and made it a top priority for this legislative session after visiting with many Texans suffering from Dementia, along with their families. ... Texas will become the premier destination for Dementia prevention and research and Texans will have access to the best Dementia care in the world, right here at home. I am proud of the legislature’s investment into this endeavor, and I know Texas families will benefit for generations to come."

Texas Policy Research and Texas Right to Know registered in opposition to the amendment. Texas Policy Research said in a statement, "While dementia research is an important issue and affects a large number of Texans and their families, this legislation creates yet another bloated bureaucracy, mirroring the failed Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)—which was embroiled in scandal and mismanagement almost from the start. Instead of learning from past mistakes, lawmakers are doubling down on a proven formula for government waste, inefficiency, and cronyism. ... For all the talk of fiscal conservatism, Texas lawmakers continue to grow government at an alarming rate. Instead of exercising discipline and restraint, they are pushing yet another taxpayer-funded bureaucracy with unlimited spending power and little oversight."

Measure design

See also: Text of measure

Click on the following sections for summaries of the different provisions of the amendment.

Expand All

Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

The amendment would establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The institute would be authorized to award grants to educational institutions, medical research facilities, and public or private persons to:

• research the causes and means of prevention for dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related disorders;
• research to develop drugs, therapies, protocols, or procedures to treat or mitigate symptoms of the above disorders;
• fund the facilities, equipment, and other costs related to research for dementia and its related disorders.

The amendment would also limit members of the governing board and any other decision-making body for the institute to serve six-year terms.

To receive grant money from the institute, the recipient would have to have half of the amount of money to be granted, already dedicated to the research specified in the grant proposal.

Dementia Prevention and Research Fund

The amendment would create the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund as a special fund in the state treasury administered by the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The amendment would direct the comptroller to allocate $3 billion from the state's general fund on January 1, 2026, to fund the amendment's initiatives. The fund would also consist of any funds the legislature allocates in the future (limited to $300 million per fiscal year), as well as any gifts and grants, including federal grants, received for the fund. As a special fund, the fund would be excluded from the state's constitutional limit on the growth of appropriations from tax revenue.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title is as follows:

“

The constitutional amendment providing for the establishment of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, establishing the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund to provide money for research on and prevention and treatment of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders in this state, and transferring to that fund $3 billion from state general revenue.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article 3, Texas Constitution

The measure would add section 68 to Article 3 of the state constitution. The following underlined text would be added: Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Sec. 68. (a) The legislature shall establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to:

(1) award grants to institutions of learning, advanced medical research facilities, public or private persons, and collaboratives in this state to provide money for:

(A) research into the causes of, means of prevention of, and treatment and rehabilitation for dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders;

(B) research, including translational research, to develop therapies, protocols, medical pharmaceuticals, or procedures for the substantial mitigation of the symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders;

(C) facilities, equipment, and other costs related to research on dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders; and

(D) prevention programs and strategies to mitigate the detrimental health impacts of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders;

(2) support institutions of learning and advanced medical research facilities and collaboratives in this state in all stages of:

(A) discovering the causes of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders;

(B) developing therapies, protocols, medical pharmaceuticals, or procedures for the substantial mitigation of the symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders from laboratory research to clinical trials; and

(C) developing programs to address access to advanced treatment for dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders; and

(3) establish the appropriate standards and oversight bodies to ensure the proper use of funding authorized under this section, including facilities development.

(b) The members of the governing body and any other decision-making body of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas may serve six-year terms.

(c) The Dementia Prevention and Research Fund is established as a special fund in the state treasury outside the general revenue fund to be administered by the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The comptroller of public accounts shall credit to general revenue interest due to the fund.

(c-1) On January 1, 2026, the comptroller shall transfer $3 billion from this state’s general revenue fund to the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund. The transfer made under this subsection is not an appropriation of state tax revenues for the purposes of Section 22, Article VIII, of this constitution. This subsection expires January 1, 2029.

(d) The Dementia Prevention and Research Fund consists of:

(1) money transferred to the fund under this section;

(2) money the legislature appropriates, credits, or transfers to the fund; and

(3) gifts and grants, including grants from the federal government, and other donations received for the fund.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this constitution, the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, as established by general law, may use money in the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund only for the purpose of funding:

(1) grants for research on dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders, research facilities, and research opportunities in this state:

(A) for the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders and the mitigation of the incidence of and detrimental health impacts from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders; and

(B) to develop therapies, protocols, medical pharmaceuticals, or procedures for the substantial mitigation of the symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders;

(2) the purchase, construction, or renovation, subject to the institute’s approval, of facilities by or on behalf of a state agency or grant recipient; and

(3) the institute’s operation.

(f) Not including any unspent money appropriated to the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas carried forward from the preceding state fiscal year, the legislature may appropriate not more than $300 million from the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund to the institute for a state fiscal year.

(g) Before the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas may award a grant authorized under this section, the grant recipient must have available an unexpended amount of money equal to one-half of the grant amount dedicated to the research specified in the grant proposal.

(h) The reasonable expenses of managing the assets of the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund shall be paid from the fund.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• State Sen. Joan Huffman (R)
• State Rep. Tom Craddick (R)
• State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D)
• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R)

Corporations

• Baylor Scott & White Health
• Houston Methodist Hospital
• Texas Children’s Hospital
• Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute
• Texas Medical Center

Organizations

• AARP Texas
• Alzheimer’s Association
• Texas Assisted Living Association
• Texas Association of Business
• Texas Association of Health Plans
• Texas Medical Association

Arguments

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R): "I created DPRIT and made it a top priority for this legislative session after visiting with many Texans suffering from Dementia, along with their families. Too many families in Texas know the ravages of Dementia. More than 500,000 Texans suffer from various forms of Dementia, and their families sadly suffer alongside them. With today’s concurrence, the Texas Senate is sending DPRIT to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Texas will become the premier destination for Dementia prevention and research and Texans will have access to the best Dementia care in the world, right here at home. I am proud of the legislature’s investment into this endeavor, and I know Texas families will benefit for generations to come."
• State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-141): "I don't know [any one] in this House who doesn't have a family member or a friend or a neighbor … impacted by dementia or Alzheimer's. This Constitutional Amendment gives us the funding to do the research so that we can give those persons who are impacted with these dreadful diseases a better quality of life."

Opposition

Opponents

Officials

• State Rep. Brian E. Harrison (R)

Organizations

• Texas Policy Research
• Texas Right to Know

Arguments

• State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-10): "What good could be done in the private sector with the $3 billion instead of the government taking it, handing it to bureaucrats to spend as bureaucrats see fit? This is corporate welfare on steroids."
• Texas Policy Research: "While dementia research is an important issue and affects a large number of Texans and their families, this legislation creates yet another bloated bureaucracy, mirroring the failed Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)—which was embroiled in scandal and mismanagement almost from the start. Instead of learning from past mistakes, lawmakers are doubling down on a proven formula for government waste, inefficiency, and cronyism. ... For all the talk of fiscal conservatism, Texas lawmakers continue to grow government at an alarming rate. Instead of exercising discipline and restraint, they are pushing yet another taxpayer-funded bureaucracy with unlimited spending power and little oversight."
• Texas Policy Research: "While well-intentioned, this amendment expands the scope and permanence of government by embedding medical research funding into the Constitution. It bypasses the appropriations process, undermines limited government, and risks crowding out private innovation in healthcare without clear fiscal safeguards or performance accountability."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Texas ballot measures

Ballotpedia has not identified any committees registered to support or oppose the measure. If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this amendment, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Background

Texas Senate Bill 5 (2025)

Senate Bill 5 (SB 5) is the enabling legislation passed during the 2025 legislative session. It would take effect if the amendment passes in November. SB 5 would establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT) in the Health and Safety Code until its expiration on September 1, 2035. It would establish an oversight committee of nine members with three members each appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House. The appointments must include one person who is a physician or scientist with experience working with dementia-related diseases and persons affected by dementia-related diseases. SB 5 would require oversight members to also represent the cultural and geographical diversity of the state. The oversight committee would also be responsible for setting the priorities for each grant program. SB5 would also authorize the hiring of a chief executive officer for DPRIT and its employees.

SB 5 passed in the Senate by a vote of 29-2 on March 5, 2025. The House passed an amended version on April 24, 2025, by a vote of 121-23, with six not voting or absent. The Senate concurred with an amended version on May 12 by a vote of 31-0.

Dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related diseases

Over six million Americans have a dementia-related disease, and 100,000 Americans die each year from it, according to the National Institutes of Health. There are several types of dementia, including Alzheimer's, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease dementia, and vascular dementia. Many individuals diagnosed with dementia have multiple types of dementia. In 2023, the cost of dementia care was estimated to be $345 billion in the United States according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Alzheimer’s disease was ranked the 6th highest cause of death in Texas and accounted for over 10,000 deaths in 2022 according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

See also: Proposition 15 (2007) and Proposition 6 (2019)

Texas voters have approved a similar institute for cancer. The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) was created in 2009 after voters approved Proposition 15 in 2007. The ballot measure tasked CPRIT with making grants to public and private researchers, education institutions, and medical research facilities to research the causes of cancer in humans and develop cures, mitigation procedures, and prevention protocols and services.

Proposition 15 allowed the Texas Public Finance Authority to authorize $3 billion in general obligation bonds, which were used for the institute's operation and grants. Under Proposition 15, no more than $300 million in bonds could be authorized per year.

In 2019, Texas voters increased the bond amount from $3 billion to $6 billion with the approval of Proposition 6 by a margin of 64.0% to 36.0%.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Texas Constitution

A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Texas State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 100 votes in the Texas House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Texas State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Senate Joint Resolution 3 (2025)

The following is the timeline of the constitutional amendment in the state legislature:

• February 20, 2025: Senate Joint Resolution 3 was introduced.
• March 5, 2025: The state Senate passed SJR 3 in a vote of 29-2.
• April 28, 2025: The House adopted a committee substitute version of the amendment on April 28 by a vote of 123-21.
• May 12, 2025: The Senate concurred with the House's version by a vote of 31-0.

Partisan Direction Index = -20.2% (Lean Democratic)

Democratic Support

100.0%

Republican Support

79.8%

How does this vote compare to other legislative ballot measures in 2025?
Learn more about the ballot measures PDI →

 Texas House of Representatives

Voted on April 28, 2025

Votes Required to Pass: 100
	Yes	No	NV
Total	123	21	6
Total %	82.0%	14.0%	4.0%
Democratic (D)	60	0	2
Republican (R)	63	21	4

Texas State Senate

Voted on May 12, 2025

Votes Required to Pass: 21
	Yes	No	NV
Total	31	0	0
Total %	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Democratic (D)	11	0	0
Republican (R)	20	0	0

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Texas

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Texas.

How to vote in Texas

Poll times

In Texas, all polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Texas is divided between the Central and Mountain time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Texas, an applicant must be a United States citizen, a resident of the county in which he or she is registering, and at least 17 years and 10 months old.

The deadline to register to vote is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters can request a postage-paid voter registration form online or complete the form online and return it to the county voter registrar. Applications are also available at a variety of locations including the county voter registrar’s office, the secretary of state’s office, libraries, and high schools. Voter registration certificates are mailed to newly registered voters.

Automatic registration

Texas does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Texas does not permit online voter registration.

Same-day registration

Texas does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must reside in the county in which they are registering to vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Texas does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

State law requires election officials to conduct a check of registered voters' citizenship status. Section 18.068 of the Texas Election Code says the following:

“	The secretary of state shall quarterly compare the information received under Section 16.001 of this code and Section 62.113, Government Code, to the statewide computerized voter registration list. If the secretary determines that a voter on the registration list is deceased or has been excused or disqualified from jury service because the voter is not a citizen, the secretary shall send notice of the determination to the voter registrar of the counties considered appropriate by the secretary.	”
—Section 18.068, Texas Election Code

In January 2019, the Texas secretary of state’s office announced that it would be providing local election officials with a list of registered voters who obtained driver’s licenses or IDs with documentation such as work visas or green cards. Counties would then be able to require voters on the list to provide proof of citizenship within 30 days. The review was halted by a federal judge in February 2019, and Secretary of State David Whitley rescinded the advisory in April. A news release from Whitley’s office stated that “... going forward, the Texas Secretary of State's office will send to county voter registrars only the matching records of individuals who registered to vote before identifying themselves as non-U.S. citizens to DPS when applying for a driver's license or personal identification card. This will ensure that naturalized U.S. citizens who lawfully registered to vote are not impacted by this voter registration list maintenance process.”

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Texas Secretary of State’s office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

Texas requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of February 2023. Click here for the Texas Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
• Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS
• Texas handgun license issued by DPS
• United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph
• United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph
• United States passport (book or card)

Identification provided by voters aged 18-69 may be expired for no more than four years before the election date. Voters aged 70 and older can use an expired ID card regardless of how long ago the ID expired.

Voters who are unable to provide one of the ID options listed above can sign a Reasonable Impediment Declaration and provide one of the following supporting documents:

• Copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate
• Copy of or original current utility bill
• Copy of or original bank statement
• Copy of or original government check
• Copy of or original paycheck
• Copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document)

The following voters are exempt from showing photo ID:

• Voters with a disability
  • Voters with a disability "may apply with the county voter registrar for a permanent exemption to presenting an acceptable photo identification or following the Reasonable Impediment Declaration procedure in the county."
• Voters who have a religious objection to being photographed

Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain a Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) at any Texas driver’s license office during regular business hours. Voters can also obtain an Election Identification Certificate from a mobile station. Locations are listed here.

See also

2025 ballot measures

View other measures certified for the 2025 ballot across the U.S. and in Texas.

• 2025 ballot measures
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• Texas elections, 2025

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Explore Texas's ballot measure history, including constitutional amendments.

• List of Texas ballot measures
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Legislative process

Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.

• Legislatively referred constitutional amendment
• Texas Constitution
• Amending state constitutions

External links

• Text of SJR 3

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