District 7 Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, announced on Oct. 25 he will run for re-election in the 2018 Republican primary. Bettencourt took office in 2014, when he won the District 7 Senate race with about 72 percent of the votes. Property tax reform has been a key issue for Bettencourt throughout his term. He authored Senate Bill 1 in the 85th special legislative session, which would have required cities and counties to hold an election for residents to approve or reject a proposed tax rate if an entity's property tax revenue rose more than 4 percent from the previous fiscal year. While that piece of legislation passed through the Senate, it did not win House approval. Bettencourt said he will continue to pursue property tax reform if he retains his position in the Senate. "Under the leadership of Lt. Gov. Patrick we have a chance in the Legislature to address major public policy issues in the upcoming session, such as property tax reform, rewriting the school finance formulas, and much more," Bettencourt said in a statement. Bettencourt serves on the Senate Finance Committee, the Education Committee and the Higher Education Committee. On Oct. 25 Bettencourt was named the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform. Voting for the primary takes place March 6, 2018.