- Despite lower property tax rates across Northeast Texas, many homeowners can expect their property tax bill to be higher next year. The Greenville Herald-Banner reports that even though local taxing entities such as hospital and school districts have lowered their property tax rates once again this year, the rapid increase in property values is still likely to result in higher taxes in 2023. The Banner reports that in Hunt County, the appraised value of a home rose by about 25 percent from 2021 to 2022.
- A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a mandate requiring most health insurance companies to cover medicine that prevents HIV infections violates the religious freedoms of certain businesses. The Texas Newsroom’s Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports.
The main plaintiff in the lawsuit is a for-profit Christian-operated corporation. The company claimed an Affordable Care Act mandate to cover what are known as pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs would make the company QUOTE “facilitate and encourage homosexual behavior.” A federal judge in Fort Worth sided with the company and said the mandate substantially burdens their religious exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the treatment “reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent” and recommends it for people at high risk of contracting the virus, including men who have sex with men. It’s unclear whether the ruling applies to other businesses besides the ones named as plaintiffs. I’m Sergio Martínez-Beltrán in Austin.