As Texas homeowners reel from skyrocketing appraisal values, state lawmakers on Thursday floated ideas to curb their tax bills by using surplus state funds and further restricting the annual growth of a home’s taxable value.

Beginning September 1, there will be no pay for the Texas legislature. Gov. Greg Abbott’s unprecedented veto is prompting questions about the separation of powers in the state. As state Democrats explore legal options to fight back against Abbott’s retaliatory move, some legislative staffers are on edge.

Fresh off the defeat of two of his legislative priorities Sunday night when Democrats abandoned the Texas House to block a sweeping elections bill, Gov. Greg Abbott flexed his executive muscle Monday — vowing to defund a co-equal branch of government while raising questions about the separation of powers in Texas.

But lawmakers disagree about how to pay for such an effort — which could cost billions of dollars — and whether any amount of state money at all should go toward winterization of private plants.

As Dale Craymer, president of the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, told the Texas Tribune this week, “the pandemic and the associated