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Senate Bill 546 |
Senate Author: Williams et al. |
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Effective: See below |
House Sponsor: Hilderbran |
Senate Bill 546 amends the Tax Code to require a county tax assessor-collector to successfully complete approved continuing education courses on ethics and on the constitutional and statutory duties of the office not later than the 90th day after the date on which the county assessor-collector first takes office and to successfully complete 20 hours of approved continuing education, including at least 10 hours of instruction on laws relating to property tax assessment and collection, if applicable to the office, before each anniversary of that date. The bill allows a county assessor-collector to carry forward from one 12-month period to the next up to 10 hours completed above the 20-hour minimum to satisfy the annual requirements, requires a county tax assessor-collector to file a certificate of completion with the county commissioners court, and makes failure to complete those continuing education requirements grounds for the removal from office. Senate Bill 546 also amends the Occupations Code to exempt a county assessor-collector or an employee of the county assessor-collector from the requirements of the Property Taxation Professional Certification Act. The bill takes effect June 14, 2013, except for the continuing education requirements, which take effect January 1, 2014.