Here’s a breakdown of Propositions 7, 8, and 9 on the Texas ballot for November 2025, including their purpose and the key pros and cons being discussed:
Proposition 7 – Texas Energy Fund Expansion
Summary: This amendment would expand the Texas Energy Fund to support the construction, maintenance, and modernization of electric generating facilities, especially in rural areas.
✅ Pros:
- Strengthens Texas’s electric grid reliability, especially after recent outages.
- Encourages investment in rural infrastructure and energy independence.
- May reduce long-term costs by preventing emergency energy purchases.
❌ Cons:
- Creates a constitutionally dedicated fund outside normal budget oversight.
- Critics say it could benefit private energy companies with limited accountability.
- Long-term funding commitments may reduce flexibility for future legislatures.
🗳️ Proposition 8 – Broadband Infrastructure Fund
Summary: Establishes a permanent fund to expand high-speed internet access across underserved areas in Texas.
✅ Pros:
- Helps bridge the digital divide, especially in rural and low-income communities.
- Supports education, healthcare, and economic development.
- Provides stable funding for long-term broadband expansion.
❌ Cons:
- Like Prop 7, it bypasses annual legislative review and sits outside the spending cap.
- Some argue it duplicates existing federal and state programs.
- Risk of inefficient spending without strong oversight mechanisms.
🗳️ Proposition 9 – Higher Education Facilities Funding
Summary: Creates a fund to support capital projects at public universities outside the UT and A&M systems.
✅ Pros:
- Levels the playing field for regional universities that don’t benefit from the Permanent University Fund.
- Supports campus safety, modernization, and enrollment growth.
- Encourages equitable investment in higher education across Texas.
❌ Cons:
- Adds another constitutionally protected fund with limited legislative control.
- Critics worry about long-term budget strain and lack of performance-based funding.
- May prompt other institutions to seek similar carve-outs.
Official Explanatory Statement
You can read the full legal summary from the Texas Secretary of State here:
2025 Explanatory Statements (PDF)
Editor’s Note:
These are propositions 7,8 & 9 in a multi-part series examining the 17 constitutional amendments on Texas’s November ballot.
Check back tomorrow as Cuero Online News breaks down more Propositions giving voters the facts they need to make informed decisions before heading to the polls.
Proposition 1 https://cueroonlinenews.com/breaking-down-the-17-constitutional-amendments-what-texas-voters-need-to-know/
Proposition 2 thru 6 https://cueroonlinenews.com/breaking-down-the-17-constitutional-amendments-what-texas-voters-need-to-know-2-6/