AUSTIN -- Months after Gov. Greg Abbott floated the idea of changing the Texas constitution to eliminate the possibility of a state income tax, a Plano lawmaker has filed a resolution in the Legislature that would do just that.

"We must continue to pursue and advance policies that protect and strengthen the Texas Miracle, starting with ensuring that Texans can keep and control more of their hard-earned tax dollars in their own pockets," State Rep. Jeff Leach said in a news release Tuesday.

He said he wanted to make sure that "Texas taxpayers are protected from the possibility of the creation of a personal income tax - which would have disastrous effects on the future of our great state."

The news release carried a show of support from Abbott.

"Texans know far better than government how to spend their own money," Abbott said in the release. "That's why I applaud Representative Jeff Leach's proposal to amend the Constitution and forever eliminate the possibility of a state income tax. I look forward to working with Representative Leach to ensure Texas remains the best place to live and work."

Texas does not currently have a state income tax, but Leach's proposal is meant to prohibit that possibility in the future. In 1993, the state took the power to levy such a tax from lawmakers and gave it to voters. Since then, an income tax can only be imposed if it's approved by a majority of registered voters in a statewide referendum, and any net revenues must be used for the "support of education."

In September, Abbott called for ending even the idea of a state income tax at a rally in McKinney, saying: "It's time we amend the Texas Constitution to eliminate the possibility of an income tax."

Amending the constitution would require a two-thirds vote by both the House and the Senate, as well as approval by a majority of voters.

Texans would still have to pay federal income taxes and state property taxes.

A similar resolution to ban a state income tax was filed in 2017 by Rep. Mike Schofield of Katy. That proposal didn't make it out of committee hearings.