Texas House Bill 2889
Texas House Bill 2889 is a proposed legislation by Republican state legislator Rep. Bryan Slaton that seeks to incentivize home-buying for heterosexual parents in Texas who have never been divorced and have four or more children.
The bill proposes a 10% discount on local property taxes for every child a qualifying couple has. House Bill 2889 limits the tax credit to couples composed of one man and one woman, only if their children are born through narrowly defined “natural” means. Single parents and parents who have a child born before they got married are not allowed to apply for the tax credit. Parents with three or fewer children and those who have previously been divorced are also ineligible. Same-sex couples who adopt a child after marriage cannot qualify for the tax reduction.
READ ALSO: Texas House Bill 2889 Proposes Tax Breaks for Families With 10 or More Children
Texas House Bill 2889 Raises Concerns
House Bill 2889 is heavily criticized for being discriminatory and promoting far-right Christian nationalist values.
Critics argue that it is discriminatory, discourages people in abusive relationships from leaving their partners, and attacks families that do not adhere to right-wing Christian values, TruthOut reported. Critics also note that the bill comes as Texas is severely restricting options for people experiencing unwanted pregnancies, with the state banning abortion in almost every circumstance after the Supreme Court ruling overturning abortion protections in Roe v. Wade last summer.
Slaton, a former minister, has authored several anti-LGBTQ bills during his time in the state legislature and has quoted passages from the Bible to promote the proposal. The House Bill 2889 provisions are modeled after laws in Hungary and Poland, both led by right-wing Christian nationalist governments.
In conclusion, Texas House Bill 2889 is a controversial proposed legislation that seeks to incentivize home-buying for heterosexual parents in Texas who have never been divorced and have four or more children. However, the bill is heavily criticized for being discriminatory, promoting far-right Christian nationalist values, and attacking families that do not adhere to these values.
