1-1  By:  Harris                                            S.B. No. 625
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed February 16, 1995; February 20, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Finance;
    1-4  April 20, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 11,
    1-5  Nays 0; April 20, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to the filing of a notice of protest with an appraisal
    1-9  review board by an undesignated agent.
   1-10        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-11        SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 41, Tax Code, is amended by
   1-12  adding Section 41.445 to read as follows:
   1-13        Sec. 41.445.  FILING OF NOTICE OF PROTEST BY UNDESIGNATED
   1-14  AGENT.  (a)  An agent of a property owner may file a notice of
   1-15  protest under Section 41.44 on behalf of the property owner
   1-16  regardless of whether a designation of the agent under Section
   1-17  1.111 is on file with the appraisal district.
   1-18        (b)  On the filing of the notice by the agent, the appraisal
   1-19  review board shall:
   1-20              (1)  schedule a hearing on the protest under Section
   1-21  41.45; and
   1-22              (2)  send notice of the hearing on the protest under
   1-23  Section 41.46 to the property owner or any person the property
   1-24  owner has designated to receive the notice under Section 1.111.
   1-25        (c)  If the notice of protest was filed by an agent for the
   1-26  property owner and a designation of the agent is not on file with
   1-27  the appraisal district, the notice of hearing shall state that an
   1-28  agent may not represent the property owner at the hearing on the
   1-29  protest unless a designation of the agent is on file with the
   1-30  appraisal district on the date of the hearing.
   1-31        (d)  An agent may not represent a property owner at a hearing
   1-32  under Section 41.45 unless a designation of the agent is on file
   1-33  with the appraisal district on the date of the hearing.
   1-34        SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
   1-35  to a notice of protest filed on or after the effective date of this
   1-36  Act.  A notice of protest filed before the effective date of this
   1-37  Act is covered by the law in effect when the notice was filed, and
   1-38  that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
   1-39        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-40        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-41  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-42  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-43  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-44  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
   1-45                               * * * * *