BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 552 By: Gonzlez, Mary Ways & Means Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 2012, the Texas Legislature enacted legislation authorizing owners of certain land used to raise or keep bees to apply to have their properties classified as qualified agricultural land for purposes of property tax appraisal. Under current state law, a property used to raise or keep bees may be classified as qualified agricultural land if the land used is not less than 5 or more than 20 acres. However, the bill author has informed the committee that differences across the state in appraisal practices relating to the required size of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees can be a concerning issue for some constituents. For example, the bill author has informed the committee that some counties require a property owner to own six acres of land used to raise or keep bees for the land to be classified as qualified agricultural land, while other counties only require a property owner to own five such acres of land. C.S.H.B. 552 seeks to address these issues by requiring the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to conduct a study to determine standards for the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 552 requires the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to conduct a study to determine standards for the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees. The bill establishes that the standards may vary depending on the location or size of the land. The bill requires the study to consider each factor relevant to the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees, including the following factors: any variations that may exist in different locations or geographic regions of Texas that affect pollination activities or the production of human food or other tangible personal products having a commercial value; the appropriate number of bee colonies located or bees raised or kept on the land; the appropriate amount of pollination activity or of human food or other tangible personal products having a commercial value produced by bees raised or kept on the land; and any other factor determined by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to be relevant to the study. The bill requires the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to submit a report, not later than April 1, 2028, on the results of the study to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, each member of the legislature, and the comptroller of public accounts. The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2029. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025. COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 552 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute extends from not later than August 31, 2026, as in the introduced, to not later than April 1, 2028, the deadline by which the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service must submit a report on the results of the required study to the requisite recipients. The substitute also changes the date on which the bill's provisions expire from September 1, 2027, as in the introduced, to September 1, 2029.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 552
By: Gonzlez, Mary
Ways & Means
Committee Report (Substituted)
C.S.H.B. 552
By: Gonzlez, Mary
Ways & Means
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 2012, the Texas Legislature enacted legislation authorizing owners of certain land used to raise or keep bees to apply to have their properties classified as qualified agricultural land for purposes of property tax appraisal. Under current state law, a property used to raise or keep bees may be classified as qualified agricultural land if the land used is not less than 5 or more than 20 acres. However, the bill author has informed the committee that differences across the state in appraisal practices relating to the required size of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees can be a concerning issue for some constituents. For example, the bill author has informed the committee that some counties require a property owner to own six acres of land used to raise or keep bees for the land to be classified as qualified agricultural land, while other counties only require a property owner to own five such acres of land. C.S.H.B. 552 seeks to address these issues by requiring the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to conduct a study to determine standards for the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 552 requires the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to conduct a study to determine standards for the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees. The bill establishes that the standards may vary depending on the location or size of the land. The bill requires the study to consider each factor relevant to the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees, including the following factors: any variations that may exist in different locations or geographic regions of Texas that affect pollination activities or the production of human food or other tangible personal products having a commercial value; the appropriate number of bee colonies located or bees raised or kept on the land; the appropriate amount of pollination activity or of human food or other tangible personal products having a commercial value produced by bees raised or kept on the land; and any other factor determined by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to be relevant to the study. The bill requires the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to submit a report, not later than April 1, 2028, on the results of the study to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, each member of the legislature, and the comptroller of public accounts. The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2029.
EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 552 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute extends from not later than August 31, 2026, as in the introduced, to not later than April 1, 2028, the deadline by which the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service must submit a report on the results of the required study to the requisite recipients. The substitute also changes the date on which the bill's provisions expire from September 1, 2027, as in the introduced, to September 1, 2029.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
In 2012, the Texas Legislature enacted legislation authorizing owners of certain land used to raise or keep bees to apply to have their properties classified as qualified agricultural land for purposes of property tax appraisal. Under current state law, a property used to raise or keep bees may be classified as qualified agricultural land if the land used is not less than 5 or more than 20 acres. However, the bill author has informed the committee that differences across the state in appraisal practices relating to the required size of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees can be a concerning issue for some constituents. For example, the bill author has informed the committee that some counties require a property owner to own six acres of land used to raise or keep bees for the land to be classified as qualified agricultural land, while other counties only require a property owner to own five such acres of land. C.S.H.B. 552 seeks to address these issues by requiring the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to conduct a study to determine standards for the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 552 requires the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to conduct a study to determine standards for the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees. The bill establishes that the standards may vary depending on the location or size of the land. The bill requires the study to consider each factor relevant to the property tax appraisal of qualified agricultural land used to raise or keep bees, including the following factors:
any variations that may exist in different locations or geographic regions of Texas that affect pollination activities or the production of human food or other tangible personal products having a commercial value;
the appropriate number of bee colonies located or bees raised or kept on the land;
the appropriate amount of pollination activity or of human food or other tangible personal products having a commercial value produced by bees raised or kept on the land; and
any other factor determined by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to be relevant to the study.
The bill requires the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to submit a report, not later than April 1, 2028, on the results of the study to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, each member of the legislature, and the comptroller of public accounts. The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2029.
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 552 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
The substitute extends from not later than August 31, 2026, as in the introduced, to not later than April 1, 2028, the deadline by which the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service must submit a report on the results of the required study to the requisite recipients. The substitute also changes the date on which the bill's provisions expire from September 1, 2027, as in the introduced, to September 1, 2029.