[Excerpt]

“Speaker Phelan and Chair Hunter, and the multinational companies that will benefit from HB5, need to get their hands out of the pockets of Texas taxpayers and off the backs of Texas schoolchildren,” said Rosalie Tristan, a leader with Valley Interfaith of the Texas IAF. “Over the past month we have seen them use every lever of the House, every carrot and stick, to bully members to sign on to renew a worse version of the failed Chapter 313 program. We call on House Members to stand up and say ‘no’ to HB5. They should put that same energy and our tax dollars into increasing the basic student allotment that funds teacher salaries and our public schools.”

"A 2023 report by the Texas Comptroller showed that over 50% of Chapter 313 benefits flow out of state, and of the portion that stays in Texas, over 50% goes to households earning over $165,000/year. “The industry lobbyists who wrote this bill, and the legislators they handpicked to carry it, knew exactly what they were doing,” said Father Ken Ducre, clergy leader with EPISO, the Texas IAF affiliate in El Paso. “By cutting out renewable energy projects and adding the “expansion” of existing petrochemical plants, HB 5 will result in more taxpayer and school money flowing out of state and into the hands of the wealthiest.”

The Rich Get Richer Under HB 5, Texas IAF

Who Benefits and Who Pays? Speaker Phelan and Chairman Hunter’s Districts Benefit, Rest of Texas Pays, The Network of Texas IAF Organizations

Coalition of Organizations Oppose HB 5 - Chapter 313 Renewal, Texas IAF & Allies