Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3694 Latest Draft

Bill / Comm Sub Version Filed 05/12/2021

                            87R22250 TJB-D
 By: Shaheen, González of Dallas H.B. No. 3694
 Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3694:
 By:  Shine C.S.H.B. No. 3694


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to a limitation on the appraised value of certain rapidly
 appreciating residence homesteads in specified areas for ad valorem
 tax purposes.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 1.12(d), Tax Code, is amended to read as
 follows:
 (d)  For purposes of this section, the appraisal ratio of a
 homestead to which Section 23.23 or 23.231 applies is the ratio of
 the property's market value as determined by the appraisal district
 or appraisal review board, as applicable, to the market value of the
 property according to law. The appraisal ratio is not calculated
 according to the appraised value of the property as limited by
 Section 23.23 or 23.231.
 SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 23, Tax Code, is amended by
 adding Section 23.231 to read as follows:
 Sec. 23.231.  LIMITATION ON APPRAISED VALUE OF RAPIDLY
 APPRECIATING RESIDENCE HOMESTEADS IN SPECIFIED AREAS. (a) In this
 section:
 (1)  "Census tract" means the geographic area
 identified as a "tract" on the 2010 Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles,
 prepared by the federal Bureau of the Census for the Twenty-third
 Decennial Census of the United States, enumerated as of April 1,
 2010.
 (2)  "Disaster recovery program" means the disaster
 recovery program administered by the General Land Office or by a
 political subdivision of this state that is funded with community
 development block grant disaster recovery money authorized by
 federal law.
 (3)  "New improvement" means an improvement to a
 rapidly appreciating residence homestead made after the most recent
 appraisal of the property that increases the market value of the
 property and the value of which is not included in the appraised
 value of the property for the preceding tax year. The term does not
 include repairs to or ordinary maintenance of an existing structure
 or the grounds or another feature of the property.
 (4)  "Rapidly appreciating residence homestead" means
 real property:
 (A)  that is a residence homestead;
 (B)  for which the owner was granted a residence
 homestead exemption in the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022,
 2023, and 2024 tax years; and
 (C)  for which the market value for the 2024 tax
 year is at least 25 percent higher than the market value of the
 property for the 2017 tax year.
 (5)  "Residence homestead" has the meaning assigned by
 Section 11.13.
 (b)  This section applies only to property located in Dallas
 County census tract 004300, 010101, 010102, 010500, 010601, 010602,
 or 020500.
 (c)  Notwithstanding the requirements of Sections 23.23 and
 25.18, and regardless of whether the appraisal office has appraised
 the property and determined the market value of the property for the
 tax year, an appraisal office may increase the appraised value of a
 rapidly appreciating residence homestead for a tax year to an
 amount not to exceed the lesser of:
 (1)  the market value of the property for the most
 recent tax year that the market value was determined by the
 appraisal office; or
 (2)  the sum of:
 (A)  the appraised value of the property for the
 2017 tax year; and
 (B)  the market value of all new improvements to
 the property.
 (d)  When appraising a rapidly appreciating residence
 homestead, the chief appraiser shall:
 (1)  appraise the property at its market value; and
 (2)  include in the appraisal records both the market
 value of the property and the amount computed under Subsection
 (c)(2).
 (e)  The limitation provided by Subsection (c) expires on
 January 1 of the first tax year that neither the owner of the
 property when the limitation took effect nor the owner's spouse or
 surviving spouse qualifies for an exemption under Section 11.13.
 (f)  This section does not apply to property appraised under
 Subchapter C, D, E, F, or G.
 (g)  Notwithstanding Subsection (c), and except as provided
 by Subdivision (2), an improvement to property that would otherwise
 constitute a new improvement is not treated as a new improvement if
 the improvement is a replacement structure for a structure that was
 rendered uninhabitable or unusable by a casualty or by wind, fire,
 or water damage. For purposes of appraising the property under
 Subsection (c) in the tax year in which the structure would have
 constituted a new improvement:
 (1)  the appraised value the property would have had in
 the preceding tax year if the casualty or damage had not occurred is
 considered to be the appraised value of the property for that year,
 regardless of whether that appraised value exceeds the actual
 appraised value of the property for that year as limited by
 Subsection (c); and
 (2)  the replacement structure is considered to be a
 new improvement only if:
 (A)  the square footage of the replacement
 structure exceeds that of the replaced structure as that structure
 existed before the casualty or damage occurred; or
 (B)  the exterior of the replacement structure is
 of higher quality construction and composition than that of the
 replaced structure.
 (h)  Notwithstanding Subsection (g)(2), and only to the
 extent necessary to satisfy the requirements of the disaster
 recovery program, a replacement structure described by that
 subdivision is not considered to be a new improvement if to satisfy
 the requirements of the disaster recovery program it was necessary
 that:
 (1)  the square footage of the replacement structure
 exceed that of the replaced structure as that structure existed
 before the casualty or damage occurred; or
 (2)  the exterior of the replacement structure be of
 higher quality construction and composition than that of the
 replaced structure.
 SECTION 3.  Section 25.19(b), Tax Code, as effective January
 1, 2022, is amended to read as follows:
 (b)  The chief appraiser shall separate real from personal
 property and include in the notice for each:
 (1)  a list of the taxing units in which the property is
 taxable;
 (2)  the appraised value of the property in the
 preceding year;
 (3)  the taxable value of the property in the preceding
 year for each taxing unit taxing the property;
 (4)  the appraised value of the property for the
 current year, the kind and amount of each exemption and partial
 exemption, if any, approved for the property for the current year
 and for the preceding year, and, if an exemption or partial
 exemption that was approved for the preceding year was canceled or
 reduced for the current year, the amount of the exemption or partial
 exemption canceled or reduced;
 (4-a)  a statement of whether the property qualifies
 for a limitation on appraised value adopted under Section 23.231;
 (5)  in italic typeface, the following statement: "The
 Texas Legislature does not set the amount of your local
 taxes.  Your property tax burden is decided by your locally elected
 officials, and all inquiries concerning your taxes should be
 directed to those officials";
 (6)  a detailed explanation of the time and procedure
 for protesting the value;
 (7)  the date and place the appraisal review board will
 begin hearing protests; and
 (8)  a brief explanation that the governing body of
 each taxing unit decides whether or not taxes on the property will
 increase and the appraisal district only determines the value of
 the property.
 SECTION 4.  Section 25.19(g), Tax Code, is amended to read as
 follows:
 (g)  By April 1 or as soon thereafter as practicable if the
 property is a single-family residence that qualifies for an
 exemption under Section 11.13, or by May 1 or as soon thereafter as
 practicable in connection with any other property, the chief
 appraiser shall deliver a written notice to the owner of each
 property not included in a notice required to be delivered under
 Subsection (a), if the property was reappraised in the current tax
 year, if the ownership of the property changed during the preceding
 year, or if the property owner or the agent of a property owner
 authorized under Section 1.111 makes a written request for the
 notice.  The chief appraiser shall separate real from personal
 property and include in the notice for each property:
 (1)  the appraised value of the property in the
 preceding year;
 (2)  the appraised value of the property for the
 current year and the kind of each partial exemption, if any,
 approved for the current year;
 (2-a)  a statement of whether the property qualifies
 for a limitation on appraised value adopted under Section 23.231;
 (3)  a detailed explanation of the time and procedure
 for protesting the value; and
 (4)  the date and place the appraisal review board will
 begin hearing protests.
 SECTION 5.  Section 41.41(a), Tax Code, is amended to read as
 follows:
 (a)  A property owner is entitled to protest before the
 appraisal review board the following actions:
 (1)  determination of the appraised value of the
 owner's property or, in the case of land appraised as provided by
 Subchapter C, D, E, or H, Chapter 23, determination of its appraised
 or market value;
 (2)  unequal appraisal of the owner's property;
 (3)  inclusion of the owner's property on the appraisal
 records;
 (4)  denial to the property owner in whole or in part of
 a partial exemption;
 (4-a)  determination that the owner's property does not
 qualify for a limitation on appraised value adopted under Section
 23.231;
 (5)  determination that the owner's land does not
 qualify for appraisal as provided by Subchapter C, D, E, or H,
 Chapter 23;
 (6)  identification of the taxing units in which the
 owner's property is taxable in the case of the appraisal district's
 appraisal roll;
 (7)  determination that the property owner is the owner
 of property;
 (8)  a determination that a change in use of land
 appraised under Subchapter C, D, E, or H, Chapter 23, has occurred;
 or
 (9)  any other action of the chief appraiser, appraisal
 district, or appraisal review board that applies to and adversely
 affects the property owner.
 SECTION 6.  Section 42.26(d), Tax Code, is amended to read as
 follows:
 (d)  For purposes of this section, the value of the property
 subject to the suit and the value of a comparable property or sample
 property that is used for comparison must be the market value
 determined by the appraisal district when the property is [a
 residence homestead] subject to the limitation on appraised value
 imposed by Section 23.23 or 23.231.
 SECTION 7.  This Act applies only to the appraisal of
 residence homesteads for ad valorem tax purposes for a tax year that
 begins on or after the effective date of this Act.
 SECTION 8.  This Act takes effect January 1, 2024, but only
 if a constitutional amendment proposed by the 88th Legislature,
 Regular Session, 2023, to authorize the legislature to limit the
 maximum appraised value of certain rapidly appreciating residence
 homesteads in specified areas for ad valorem tax purposes is
 approved by the voters.  If such an amendment is not approved by the
 voters, this Act has no effect.