Keeping Texas Affordable
Lowering Everyday Costs for Families
Keeping Texas affordable remains a top priority for the Texas House. While many of the cost pressures facing families are driven by national inflation, population growth and out-of-control local government spending, the Texas Legislature is taking action where it can to lower costs and help Texans keep more of their hard-earned money.
The Texas House has passed major reforms to help make housing, healthcare and child care more affordable. Together, these efforts are aimed at helping families build a stronger future.
Making Housing More Affordable
Homeownership is a cornerstone of the American Dream.
Making it more affordable for Texas families was a major focus of the 89th Legislative Session. Speaker Burrows led lawmakers in passing reforms to lower housing costs, increase the supply of homes and reduce local rules that drive up prices.
- Provided $51 billion in property tax relief to help homeowners and businesses keep more of their money (SB 1)
- Raised the homestead exemption to $140,000, and to $200,000 for seniors and Texans with disabilities (SB 4, SJR 2, SB 23 & SJR 85)
- Prevented cities from requiring overly large lot sizes or other rules that make it harder to build smaller, more affordable homes (SB 15)
- Allowed more homes to be built on underused commercial properties (SB 840, SB 2477)
- Gave residents better notice and a stronger voice in local zoning decisions (HB 24)
Lowering Healthcare Costs
Every Texan deserves access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.
During the 89th Legislative Session, the Texas Legislature passed reforms to improve access to care by increasing price transparency, strengthening the healthcare workforce and reducing barriers that make it harder for Texans to get the care they need.
- Gave Texas patients better access to upfront medical cost estimates and strengthened consumer protections to reduce surprise bills and unexpected expenses (HB 1314 & HB 216)
- Banned pharmacy “gag clauses” that prevented pharmacists from telling patients about lower-cost prescription options (SB 493)
- Expanded support for rural hospitals and healthcare providers to strengthen access to care in underserved Texas communities (HB 18)
- Created more pathways for qualified physicians and healthcare professionals to enter the workforce and address provider shortages (HB 879 & HB 2038)
- Encouraged more affordable, value-driven healthcare options through insurance and billing reforms (SB 926)
- Helped lawmakers understand how new health insurance requirements could affect the cost of coverage for Texas families and employers before passing them into law (HB 138)
Helping Families Access Child Care
Rising child care costs have made it harder for many Texas families to make ends meet.
The Texas House has taken steps to improve access to affordable child care while helping parents stay in the workforce if they choose and support their families.
- Created the Quad-Agency Child Care Initiative to improve coordination between state agencies, streamline child care regulations and help make child care more affordable and accessible across Texas (HB 4903)
- Established the Governor’s Task Force on the Governance of Early Childhood Education and Care to identify inefficiencies, improve coordination, and strengthen child care and early education services statewide (HB 117)
- Expanded access to child care so more parents have the option to stay in the workforce
Keeping Texas Affordable
Significant progress was made during the 89th Legislative Session in helping lower the cost of living for Texas families, but there is still more work to do.
Families across the nation are feeling pressure from rising prices in areas like housing, healthcare, child care, insurance and higher education. But in Texas, Speaker Burrows has directed lawmakers to prepare for the 2027 legislative session by studying the factors driving up these costs and identifying ways to keep Texas affordable for families, workers, seniors and small businesses.
House committees are examining issues ranging from housing affordability and healthcare costs to workforce participation, higher education access, insurance markets and holding local governments accountable for taxpayer dollars. Through this work, lawmakers are gathering input from industry experts and Texans across the state to develop innovative solutions that expand opportunity and keep Texas affordable.