Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3359 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 03/09/2021

                            87R12041 TJB-D
 By: Rodriguez H.B. No. 3359


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the authority of the governing body of a taxing unit
 other than a school district to adopt an exemption from ad valorem
 taxation of a portion, expressed as a dollar amount, of the
 appraised value of an individual's residence homestead and the
 treatment of such an exemption in the calculation of certain ad
 valorem tax rates.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 11.13, Tax Code, is amended by amending
 Subsection (i) and adding Subsections (s) and (t) to read as
 follows:
 (i)  The assessor and collector for a taxing unit may
 disregard the exemptions authorized by Subsection (b), (c), (d),
 [or] (n), or (s) [of this section] and assess and collect a tax
 pledged for payment of debt without deducting the amount of the
 exemption if:
 (1)  prior to adoption of the exemption, the unit
 pledged the taxes for the payment of a debt; and
 (2)  granting the exemption would impair the obligation
 of the contract creating the debt.
 (s)  In addition to any other exemptions provided by this
 section, an individual is entitled to an exemption from taxation by
 a taxing unit other than a school district of a portion of the
 appraised value of the individual's residence homestead if the
 exemption is adopted by the governing body of the taxing unit before
 July 1 in the manner provided by law for official action by the
 body. The amount of the exemption is $5,000 of the appraised value
 of the residence homestead, except that if the average market value
 of residence homesteads in the taxing unit in the tax year in which
 the exemption is adopted exceeds $25,000, as calculated based on
 the appraisal records prepared by the chief appraiser of each
 appraisal district in which the taxing unit participates, the
 governing body may authorize an exemption in a larger dollar amount
 not to exceed an amount equal to 20 percent of the average market
 value of residence homesteads in the taxing unit in the tax year in
 which the exemption is adopted.
 (t)  This subsection applies only to a taxing unit the
 governing body of which has ceased granting an exemption under
 Subsection (n) and has adopted an exemption under Subsection (s).
 An individual who would have been entitled to an exemption from
 taxation by the taxing unit under Subsection (n) had the governing
 body not ceased granting an exemption under that subsection is
 entitled to continue to receive an exemption under that subsection
 in lieu of the exemption under Subsection (s) if the individual
 otherwise qualifies for the exemption under Subsection (n) and the
 amount of the exemption under that subsection exceeds the amount of
 the exemption under Subsection (s). The exemption applies only to
 property for which the individual received an exemption under
 Subsection (n) in the last year in which the governing body granted
 an exemption under that subsection.  The exemption expires in the
 event of a change in ownership of the property or, if the property
 is owned by a qualifying trust and the trustor of the trust or a
 beneficiary of the trust has the right to use and occupy the
 property as the trustor's or beneficiary's principal residential
 property, there is a change in the trustor or beneficiary of the
 trust, respectively.
 SECTION 2.  Section 25.23(a), Tax Code, is amended to read as
 follows:
 (a)  After submission of appraisal records, the chief
 appraiser shall prepare supplemental appraisal records listing:
 (1)  each taxable property the chief appraiser
 discovers that is not included in the records already submitted,
 including property that was omitted from an appraisal roll in a
 prior tax year;
 (2)  property on which the appraisal review board has
 not determined a protest at the time of its approval of the
 appraisal records; and
 (3)  property that qualifies for an exemption under
 Section 11.13(n) or (s) that was adopted by the governing body of a
 taxing unit after the date the appraisal records were submitted.
 SECTION 3.  Sections 26.012(6) and (15), Tax Code, are
 amended to read as follows:
 (6)  "Current total value" means the total taxable
 value of property listed on the appraisal roll for the current year,
 including all appraisal roll supplements and corrections as of the
 date of the calculation, less the taxable value of property
 exempted for the current tax year for the first time under Section
 11.31 or 11.315, except that:
 (A)  the current total value for a school district
 excludes:
 (i)  the total value of homesteads that
 qualify for a tax limitation as provided by Section 11.26; and
 (ii)  new property value of property that is
 subject to an agreement entered into under Chapter 313; [and]
 (B)  the current total value for a county,
 municipality, or junior college district excludes the total value
 of homesteads that qualify for a tax limitation provided by Section
 11.261; and
 (C)  the current total value for a taxing unit the
 governing body of which has adopted an exemption under Section
 11.13(s) includes, with regard to homesteads other than those
 described by Paragraph (B) of this subdivision, the total dollar
 amount of the exemptions granted under that subsection.
 (15)  "Lost property levy" means the amount of taxes
 levied in the preceding year on property value that was taxable in
 the preceding year but is not taxable in the current year because
 the property is exempt in the current year under a provision of this
 code other than Section 11.13(s), 11.251, 11.253, or 11.35, the
 property has qualified for special appraisal under Chapter 23 in
 the current year, or the property is located in territory that has
 ceased to be a part of the taxing unit since the preceding year.
 SECTION 4.  This Act applies only to ad valorem taxes imposed
 for a tax year that begins on or after the effective date of this
 Act.
 SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect January 1, 2022, but only
 if the constitutional amendment proposed by the 87th Legislature,
 Regular Session, 2021, authorizing the governing body of a
 political subdivision other than a school district to adopt an
 exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion, expressed as a
 dollar amount, of the market value of an individual's residence
 homestead is approved by the voters. If that amendment is not
 approved by the voters, this Act has no effect.