By Ratliff                                      S.B. No. 1423

      75R6803 SMH-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the right of certain lessees of real property to

 1-3     protest before an appraisal review board a determination of the

 1-4     appraised value of the property for ad valorem tax purposes.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 41.413(b), Tax Code, is amended to read

 1-7     as follows:

 1-8           (b)  A person leasing real property who is contractually

 1-9     obligated to reimburse the property owner for taxes imposed on the

1-10     property is entitled to protest before the appraisal review board a

1-11     determination of the appraised value of the property if the lease

1-12     does not prohibit the person from filing a protest relating to the

1-13     property and the property owner does not file a protest relating to

1-14     the property.  The protest provided by this subsection is limited

1-15     to a single protest by either the property owner or the lessee.

1-16     This subsection applies only to real property leased to one lessee.

1-17     This subsection does not apply to a multitenant property.

1-18           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-19     to a protest filed on or after the effective date of this Act.  A

1-20     protest filed before the effective date of this Act is covered by

1-21     the law in effect on the date the protest was filed, and that law

1-22     is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-23           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-24           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-1     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-2     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-3     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-4     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.