Proposing a constitutional amendment prohibiting the enactment of a law imposing an occupation tax on certain entities that enter into transactions conveying securities or imposing a tax on certain securities transactions.
HJR 4 proposes a constitutional amendment that would prohibit Texas from imposing an occupation tax on financial firms regulated by federal agencies (like stock exchanges, brokers, and clearinghouses) or taxing their securities transactions. It directly affects entities such as stock exchanges, broker-dealers, and other registered securities market operators. The amendment explicitly allows existing taxes like sales taxes, insurance premiums, and general business taxes but blocks new state taxes targeting securities transactions or these specific firms. This is a constitutional change, not a regular law, requiring voter approval after legislative passage.
Bill status
passed both
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Governor
Introduced Feb 27, 2025
Last action May 5, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
May 5, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from a draft version to the final enrolled version for printing and official adoption. The substantive policy content regarding the constitutional amendment prohibiting occupation taxes on securities market operators remains unchanged. The primary difference is the addition of certification signatures and voting records from both legislative chambers, confirming the bill passed both houses.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; only formatting and official certification additions.
TECHNICAL
Added certification signatures and voting records from the House and Senate to document official passage of the bill
Removed draft metadata including sponsor names and internal tracking numbers
Reformatted text layout and removed extraneous line breaks and formatting artifacts from the draft version
Floor votes · Senate Apr 29, 2025 · House Apr 1, 2025
How they voted
27–3
Passed
Total votes 30
Apr 29, 2025
D
Democratic10
70% Yea
R
Republican20
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
41
Key actions
13
Committee
10
Amendments
2
May 5, 2025
Introduced
Filed with the Secretary of State
executive
May 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage reported
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to Finance
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
Apr 1, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
Apr 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Adopted
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Amended
Amendment fails of adoption
lower
Apr 1, 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
6 primary · 10 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Angie Button
RRepublican
P
Cody Vasut
RRepublican
P
Joe Moody
DDemocratic
P
Morgan Meyer
RRepublican
P
RA
Rafael Anchía
DDemocratic
P
Tan Parker
RRepublican
Co
Brandon Creighton
RRepublican
Co
Brooks Landgraf
RRepublican
Co
Cody Harris
RRepublican
Co
CB
César Blanco
DDemocratic
Co
Greg Bonnen
RRepublican
Co
Lacey Hull
RRepublican
Co
Mihaela Pleșa
DDemocratic
Co
SM
Sergio Muñoz
DDemocratic
Co
Trent Ashby
RRepublican
Co
Will Metcalf
RRepublican
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