[Excerpt]

The Network of Texas IAF Organizations, a labor and faith coalition that has staunchly opposed using school property tax breaks for incentives... railed against the Texas Jobs and Security Act.

"It looks like it was written on the back of a napkin,"

stated Jose Guerrero, a leader with Central Texas Interfaith from Saint Ignatius Catholic Church.

The organization believes the proposed bill would have even less regulation than Chapter 313, including the exclusion of minimum job requirements as a key factor in a project's eligibility for approval. "It is hard to imagine that they would propose a program with even less accountability, fewer specifics (like no job requirements), and more leeway for companies to take taxpayer dollars from school children to line their pockets," Guerrero stated.

[Excerpts]

Members of Dallas Area Interfaith – which was among the groups that pushed the Legislature to end the controversial Chapter 313 program – cheered at the news. The group mobilized to urge DISD trustees to veto the proposal.

“Does it make sense to continue to grant certain large corporations these huge tax breaks?” DAI leader Bill deHaas said ahead of the meeting. “We already know that we have a crunch on educational spending.”

In a letter to trustees, members of the group argued that the process was rushed to meet the Dec. 31 deadline, keeping the district from doing due diligence.

“At its core, Chapter 313 is inequitable for Texas children....”

Should the DISD deal have gone through, Hanwha would have given the district about $300,000 each year for the next decade for its general fund, said Dwayne Thompson, deputy superintendent of business services.

After the DISD meeting, Dallas Area Interfaith members said they would continue the fight in Austin.

Dallas ISD Punts Tax Break Ask from Manufacturing Company Ahead of Chapter 313 Expiration, Dallas Morning News [pdf]

Dallas Area Interfaith Commends DISD Board for Rejecting Chapter 313 Deal with Hanwha Q Cells, Dallas Area Interfaith

DAI Calls on DISD Trustees to Vote Against Hanwha Ch. 313 Application, Dallas Area Interfaith

"Dallas Area Interfaith and its related organizations in the Texas Industrial Areas Foundation helped lead the fight to end Chapter 313 in the Texas legislature last year. The group is also opposing new applications at the school board level, a job that’s picking up as applications pour in this summer.

“Typically, we would find about 5% of the school districts would have tax abatements through 313, and it would come to an average of roughly 100 a year,” Dallas Area Interfaith Leader Bill deHaas said. “We’re on the way to tripling that.”

The bipartisan group opposes new agreements on the basis that they hurt Texas schools and students.

“Dallas ISD, on average is losing about $20 million a year because of the tax abatements. They go to only 5% of the state school districts,” deHaas said.

DeHaas’ point is that the vast majority of Texas school districts would receive more funding per student if the state eliminated costs that go to cover 313 agreements.

Since the comptroller frequently waives a job creation requirement, deHaas also said the tax breaks don’t create many local jobs. At the end of 2021, the comptroller recorded more than 9,000 jobs created by $217 billion in investments.

“It just seems to us to be an unfair system to attract new corporations to the state of Texas, and what happens is it penalizes 95% of the students in the state,” he said."

Companies Lining Up for Future Tax Breaks as Texas Incentive Program Nears End, Dallas Morning News [pdf]