Legislators negotiating final school funding package

Legislators negotiating final school funding package: "State Sen. Todd Staples, R-Palestine, was among the legislators picked to negotiate the outcome of two school funding bills.

“Reducing the property tax rate, closing tax loopholes and bringing fairness to the system is essential for a healthy economy,” Staples, who will be working on House Bill 3, said in a press release. “We have a complex tax system, and property owners have carried the burden of funding our schools for too long. We must make certain the tax system is not punitive to any one sector of our economy."