AUSTIN, TX – Two of Representative Chris Turner’s priority measures to reform property appraisal practices and safeguard public school funding will become law. House Bill 148 was signed by Governor Greg Abbott and Senate Bill 973 will become law without the governor’s signature – both laws take effect September 1. Turner serves as Chair of the House Permanent Standing Subcommittee on Property Tax Appraisals.
Rep. Turner filed these measures in response to the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD)’s adoption of a reappraisal plan that is inconsistent with state law and that jeopardizes local public school funding. TAD’s decision to not reappraise all property annually has caused massive disruptions to local public schools by endangering their state funding. It also puts Tarrant County residents at risk of having outdated, inflated appraisals that lead to higher property tax burdens.
As the House sponsor of SB 973, Turner accepted an amendment that makes clear a reappraisal plan must conform to the Tax Code provision that requires all property to be reappraised as of January 1 each year. The intent of this provision is the same as Turner’s HB 2786, which passed the House but did not make it out of the Senate.
“The language we added to SB 973 unequivocally requires taxable property to be appraised annually,” said Turner. “I am aware of Tax Assessor-Collector Rick Barnes’ recent comments that this law will not affect the TAD’s reappraisal plan – he is wrong. I would point him to the numerous expert witnesses who testified the opposite of that in multiple committee hearings throughout the session. I look forward to TAD once again following the letter of the law now that discrepancies in statute have been resolved.”
Turner also passed HB 148, which Speaker Dustin Burrows designated as a priority bill. The measure implements mandatory training for appraisal district board members in populous counties (over 75,000 population) and requires candidates for appraisal district boards to sign an acknowledgement of their duties before being elected or appointed.
“When I saw some of the TAD board members’ mischaracterization of their duties when running for election, and lack of understanding of the serious impact their deviation from state law could have on our public schools, it became evident that training for board members was necessary. HB 148 will ensure that our elected appraisal boards will have a clear understanding of their statutory duties and the tools necessary to effectively fulfill their role,” said Turner.
“The passage of these laws is the result of a nearly yearlong effort to address the chaos caused by the TAD board,” Turner said. “I want to thank the numerous Tarrant County school officials and other local leaders who traveled to Austin to testify in favor of these measures – their voices made a big difference. I also thank my colleagues in the House and Senate who passed these bills with strong bipartisan support and Governor Abbott for allowing them to become law.”
Chris Turner represents House District 101 in the Texas House of Representatives, which encompasses Arlington, Grand Prairie and Mansfield. Turner serves as Chair of the Permanent Standing Subcommittee on Property Tax Appraisals and as a member of the State Affairs and Ways and Means Committees.
###
