Proposing a constitutional amendment prohibiting the legislature from imposing death taxes applicable to a decedent's property or the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift.
HJR 2 proposes a constitutional amendment that would prohibit Texas from imposing state taxes on property transferred after someone's death, including estate, inheritance, or gift taxes. It specifically prevents new taxes on these transfers or increases to existing taxes that were in place before January 1, 2025. Exceptions include taxes on motor vehicle gifts, certain property taxes (ad valorem), and taxes already authorized under existing law. This amendment requires voter approval in the November 2025 election and would affect anyone transferring property through wills, inheritances, or gifts after the amendment takes effect.
Bill status
passed both
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Governor
Introduced Feb 27, 2025
Last action May 14, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
5 edits
·
May 14, 2025
MODERATE
The bill text was converted from an 'Engrossed' version to an 'Enrolled' version, which is the final certified version ready for printing and distribution to voters. The substantive policy content of the constitutional amendment prohibiting death taxes remains unchanged. The primary differences are formatting, header information, and the addition of certification signatures from legislative officers confirming passage by both chambers.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; this is a procedural conversion to the final enrolled version.
TECHNICAL
Added official enrolled version header with bill number 89(R) HJR 2 and bill text label.
Added certification blocks with signatures for the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Chief Clerk of the House, and Secretary of the Senate.
Added certification text confirming House passage on April 29, 2025, and Senate passage on May 12, 2025, with vote counts.
Removed draft formatting artifacts, page numbers, and the digital content accessibility update note that was present in the engrossed version.
Standardized spacing and formatting throughout the document to match official enrolled bill standards.
Floor votes · Senate May 12, 2025 · House Apr 29, 2025
How they voted
26–3
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 30
May 12, 2025
D
Democratic10
60% Yea
R
Republican20
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
50
Key actions
14
Committee
10
Amendments
1
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Filed with the Secretary of State
executive
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage reported
lower
May 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
May 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Finance
upper
May 5, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Adopted
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Introduced
Placed on Constitutional Amendments Calendar
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Mar 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Mar 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Mar 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Feb 27, 2025
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means
lower
Feb 27, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
5 primary · 19 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Charles Perry
RRepublican
P
Charlie Geren
RRepublican
P
John McQueeney
RRepublican
P
Morgan Meyer
RRepublican
P
Will Metcalf
RRepublican
Co
Adam Hinojosa
RRepublican
Co
Aicha Davis
DDemocratic
Co
Angie Button
RRepublican
Co
Ben Bumgarner
RRepublican
Co
Brandon Creighton
RRepublican
Co
Brian Birdwell
RRepublican
Co
David Spiller
RRepublican
Co
Ellen Troxclair
RRepublican
Co
Greg Bonnen
RRepublican
Co
Katrina Pierson
RRepublican
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