The Texas House of Representatives has passed House Bill 24, a major housing reform measure that would reduce the power of local property owners to block new development, especially affordable and multifamily housing. The bill passed with bipartisan support (83–56) and went to the Texas Senate, which has already passed a similar proposal.

The bill targets a Jim Crow-era provision in Texas law that allows just 20% of nearby landowners to force a supermajority city council vote to approve zoning changes. This obscure but powerful rule has historically been used to block housing developments, including a citywide zoning overhaul in Austin and a San Antonio affordable housing project supported by Governor Greg Abbott.

House Speaker Dustin Burrows and other lawmakers are betting that weakening local obstruction will make housing more available and affordable, and they’re finding support from across the political spectrum.

What HB 24 Does:

• Raise the objection threshold from 20% to 60% of surrounding landowners.
• Lower city council approval from a supermajority to a simple majority.
• Prevent property owners from using the law to block citywide zoning changes.

This is part of a broader legislative effort led by Speaker Burrows and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to address Texas’s housing affordability crisis by removing barriers to building more homes. Texas faces a shortage of over 320,000 homes, a key factor behind surging prices and rents.

However, not all lawmakers are on board. Representative John Bryant, a Democrat from Dallas, criticized the bill as a threat to traditional homeowner protections:

“This has been in the law a long time for a good reason… Give them the same homeowner protection that they’ve had for many years, the same protection that you had when you made your decision to buy your house.” said Rep. John Bryant in an article for the Texas Tribune.

In contrast, Representative Angelia Orr, a Republican from Angelina, who authored the bill, emphasized its focus on affordability in the Texas Tribune: “This is a good bill that will improve housing availability and affordability.”

She also dismissed concerns that the bill could lead to industrial zoning in neighborhoods.

“A city council already makes a multitude of decisions based on a simple majority,” said Rep. Orr.

The move drew rare alliances between conservative and municipal interest groups, including the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Texas Municipal League, both of which support reforming the outdated veto system.

Amid a nationwide housing crisis, the passage of HB 24 signals a shift in the politics of Texas housing, with growing bipartisan recognition that NIMBYism is a policy obstacle to affordability and housing stock growth.