| 1 | 1 | | 87S20550 SMH-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Allison H.B. No. 158 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to a study of the desirability, feasibility, and effects |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | of various measures to limit or reduce the burden of ad valorem |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | taxes on property owners. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "commission" means the |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | Commission to Study Measures to Limit or Reduce Ad Valorem Taxes. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 2. COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION. The commission is |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | composed of nine members as follows: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | (1) the comptroller of public accounts; |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (2) two chief appraisers appointed by the comptroller |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | of public accounts, one of whom is employed by an appraisal district |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | established in an urban county and one of whom is employed by an |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | appraisal district established in a rural county; |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (3) two members of the senate appointed by the |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | lieutenant governor; |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (4) two members of the house of representatives |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (5) two public members appointed by the governor. |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 3. PRESIDING OFFICER. The comptroller of public |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | accounts is the presiding officer of the commission. |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 4. MEETINGS. The commission shall meet at the call |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | of the presiding officer of the commission. |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 5. STAFF. The staff of the office of the |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | comptroller of public accounts shall serve as the staff of the |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | commission. |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 6. COMPENSATION; REIMBURSEMENT FOR EXPENSES. A |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | commission member is not entitled to receive compensation for |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | service on the commission but is entitled to reimbursement for |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | actual and necessary expenses, including travel expenses, incurred |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | by the member in performing commission duties. |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 7. STUDY. (a) The commission shall conduct a study |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | of the desirability, feasibility, and effects of various measures |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | to limit or reduce the burden of ad valorem taxes on property |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | owners, including: |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | (1) limiting the appraised value of real property for |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | ad valorem tax purposes to the value when the owner acquired the |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | property and determining that value on the basis of the purchase |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | price of the property, if applicable; |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | (2) lowering the limitation in current law on annual |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | increases in the appraised value of residence homesteads or |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | expanding the applicability of the limitation to include a broader |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | class of real property, such as residential real property |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | generally; |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | (3) providing for additional exemptions from ad |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | valorem taxation of all or part of the appraised value of certain |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | classes of property, including homes purchased by first-time |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | homebuyers; |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | (4) limiting the total amount of ad valorem taxes that |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | a taxing unit may impose on property that an individual has owned |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | for a specified period; and |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | (5) increasing the state's share of the cost of funding |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | public education. |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | (b) In studying implementing the measures described by |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | Subsection (a) of this section, the commission shall consider: |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | (1) the fairness of doing so; |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | (2) the effects of doing so on the overall tax burden |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | and the distribution of the tax burden; |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | (3) the effects of doing so on the real estate market; |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | and |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | (4) the statutory, constitutional, and administrative |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | changes that would be necessary to do so. |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | SECTION 8. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2022, the |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | commission shall issue a report of the results of the study, |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | including any legislative recommendations, to the governor, |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives. |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | SECTION 9. ABOLITION AND EXPIRATION. The commission is |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | abolished and this Act expires September 1, 2023. |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 10. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
|---|
| 78 | 78 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the |
|---|
| 79 | 79 | | last day of the legislative session. |
|---|