Texas Proposition 5, Property Tax Exemption on Retail Animal Feed Amendment (2025)

Texas Proposition 5
Election date November 4, 2025
Topic Agriculture policy and Property tax exemptions
Status On the ballot
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Texas Proposition 5, the Property Tax Exemption on Retail Animal Feed 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 authorize the state legislature to pass a property tax exemption on animal feed held by the property owner for retail sale.

A "no" vote opposes amending the state constitution to authorize the state legislature to pass a property tax exemption on animal feed held by the property owner for retail sale.

Overview

What would Proposition 5 do?

See also: Text of measure

Proposition 5 would amend Article 8 of the Texas Constitution to add a new section authorizing the Texas State Legislature to exempt animal feed held by an owner for retail sale from tangible personal property taxes. The amendment would also authorize the state legislature to pass additional eligibility requirements for the exemption.

The implementing legislation, House Bill 1399, was also passed during the 2025 legislative session. The bill would take effect on January 1, 2026, if the amendment is approved.

Who supports and opposes Proposition 5?

See also: Support and Opposition

Colony Ranch Supply, Inc., Texas Farm Bureau (AGFUND), and Texas Policy Research endorsed the amendment. State Rep. Cody Harris (R-8), the author of the amendment, said, "Under current law, animal feed is typically exempt from taxation at each location or transaction during its life cycle, from the field where it's harvested to the purchase of the feed by a farmer or rancher, except for when the feed is sitting in a store as inventory. H.J.R. 99 seeks to address this inconsistency by authorizing the legislature to exempt tangible personal property consisting of animal feed from property taxation if the property is held by the owner for sale at retail."

Ballotpedia has not located a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure. You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title is as follows:

“

The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the owner of the property for sale at retail.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article 8, Texas Constitution

The measure would add a section 1-s of Article 8 of the state constitution. The following underlined text would be added:

Sec. 1-s. (a) The legislature by general law may exempt from ad valorem taxation tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the owner of the property for sale at retail.

(b)The legislature by general law may provide additional eligibility requirements for the exemption authorized by this section.

Full text

The full text is available here.

Support

Ballotpedia has not located a campaign in support of the ballot measure. You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Supporters

Officials

• State Rep. Cody Harris (R)

Corporations

• Colony Ranch Supply, Inc.

Organizations

• Texas Farm Bureau (AGFUND)
• Texas Policy Research

Arguments

• State Rep. Cody Harris (R-8): "Under current law, animal feed is typically exempt from taxation at each location or transaction during its life cycle, from the field where it's harvested to the purchase of the feed by a farmer or rancher, except for when the feed is sitting in a store as inventory. H.J.R. 99 seeks to address this inconsistency by authorizing the legislature to exempt tangible personal property consisting of animal feed from property taxation if the property is held by the owner for sale at retail."
• Texas Policy Research: "By reducing a targeted tax burden on agricultural retailers, this measure promotes free enterprise and strengthens private property rights. Though exemptions should be used cautiously, this permissive amendment gives the Legislature flexibility to deliver fairer tax treatment without mandating new spending."

Opposition

Ballotpedia has not located a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure. You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Arguments

You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Texas ballot measures

Ballotpedia has not identified any committees registered to support or oppose Proposition 5. 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

House Bill 1399 (2025)

House Bill 1399 (HB 1399) is the implementing legislation for the amendment, which means it would take effect if the amendment passes. HB 1399 was passed in the House by a vote of 125-17, with 11 not voting or absent. It passed in the Senate by a vote of 30-1.

HB 1399 would amend the state tax code to create a property tax exemption for animal feed based on the appraised value of the property if the property is held for retail sale. It would include animal feed for farm and ranch animals and animal feed held for sale. The bill would take effect on January 1, 2026, if the amendment is approved.

Texas ad valorem property tax system

In 1968, Texas voters adopted Proposition 7, which provided for a gradual reduction in the state property tax and eventual abolishment after 1978, with exceptions for certain institutions of higher learning. In 1982, this exception for certain higher education institutions to levy state ad valorem property taxes was repealed with the passage of Proposition 1. As of 2025, only local taxing units, cities, counties, school districts, junior colleges, and special districts levy ad valorem taxes.

Path to the ballot

Amending the Texas Constitution

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.

House Joint Resolution 99 (2025)

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

• March 10, 2025: Home Joint Resolution 99 (HJR 99) was introduced.
• April 28, 2025: The House passed HJR 99 by a 102-5 with 43 not voting or absent.
• May 9, 2025: The Senate passed HJR 99 by a vote of 30-1.

Partisan Direction Index = +14.7% (Bipartisan)

Democratic Support

84.4%

Republican Support

99.1%

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	102	5	43
Total %	68.0%	3.3%	28.7%
Democratic (D)	17	4	41
Republican (R)	85	1	2

Texas State Senate

Voted on May 9, 2025

Votes Required to Pass: 21
	Yes	No	NV
Total	30	1	0
Total %	96.8%	3.2%	0.0%
Democratic (D)	10	1	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
• Texas 2025 ballot measures
• Texas elections, 2025

Texas ballot measures

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

• List of Texas ballot measures
• Texas Historical Ballot Measures Factbook
• Property tax exemptions ballot measures
• Texas State Legislature

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 HJR 99

Footnotes

2025 ballot measures

State ballot measures

States:  • California • Colorado • Louisiana • Maine • New York • Ohio • Texas • Washington • Wisconsin

Topics: Absentee and mail voting •  Administrative organization •  Agriculture policy •  Athletics and sports •  Bail policy •  Bond issues •  Budget stabilization funds •  Business taxes •  Citizenship voting requirements •  Civil trials •  Constitutional rights •  Criminal sentencing •  Drinking water systems •  Election administration and governance •  Family-related policy •  Firearms policy •  Healthcare governance •  Higher education funding •  Highways and bridges •  Homestead tax exemptions •  Income taxes •  Juvenile criminal justice •  Local government finance and taxes •  Parks, land, and natural area conservation •  Pollution, waste, and recycling policy •  Property tax exemptions •  Property taxes •  Public assistance programs •  Public education funding •  Public employee retirement funds •  Public school teachers and staff •  Redistricting policy •  Restricted-use funds •  Revenue allocation •  Revenue and spending limits •  Sales taxes •  Severance taxes •  Sewage and stormwater •  State judicial authority •  State judicial selection •  State judiciary oversight •  State judiciary structure •  State legislative authority •  State legislative vote requirements •  Vaccinations and disease policy •  Veterans policy •  Voter ID policy •  Water storage

Local ballot measures

 • Alaska • Arizona • California • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Louisiana • Maine • Michigan • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Jersey • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Texas • Vermont • Washington

Overviews

 • Scorecard •Tuesday Count •Deadlines •Filed ballot initiatives •Potential ballot measures •Polls •Campaign finance •Signature costs •Readability