By Solomons                                            H.B. No. 468
         77R2677 JD-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the transportation of and certain ad valorem tax liens
 1-3     on manufactured homes; providing a penalty.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 19(d), Texas Manufactured Housing
 1-6     Standards Act (Article 5221f, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is
 1-7     amended to read as follows:
 1-8           (d)  The department may not refuse to issue a document of
 1-9     title, and may not suspend or revoke a document of title, unless:
1-10                 (1)  the application contains any false or fraudulent
1-11     statement, the applicant has failed to furnish information required
1-12     by the director, or the applicant is not lawfully entitled to the
1-13     issuance of a document of title;
1-14                 (2)  the director has reasonable basis to believe that
1-15     the manufactured home has been stolen or unlawfully converted, or
1-16     the issuance of a document of title would constitute a fraud
1-17     against the rightful owner or a lienholder;
1-18                 (3)  the director has reasonable basis to believe that
1-19     the manufactured home is "salvaged" as defined in Section 8 of this
1-20     Act and a salvage title has not been applied for;
1-21                 (4)  the required fee has not been paid;
1-22                 (5)  the state sales and use tax has not been paid in
1-23     accordance with the provisions of Chapter 158, Tax Code, and its
1-24     subsequent amendments, and Subsection (j) of this section; or
 2-1                 (6)  a local tax lien was [has been] filed before
 2-2     September 1, 2001, and recorded pursuant to Section 32.015,
 2-3     [Property] Tax Code, as that section existed on the date the lien
 2-4     was filed, and that lien has not been extinguished.
 2-5           SECTION 2.  Section 32.015, Tax Code, is amended to read as
 2-6     follows:
 2-7           Sec. 32.015.  [RECORDING] TAX LIEN ON MANUFACTURED HOME. (a)
 2-8     [The collector for a taxing unit may file notice of the unit's tax
 2-9     lien on a manufactured home with the department if the tax has not
2-10     been paid by January 31 of the year following the year for which
2-11     the tax is imposed. The notice must include:]
2-12                 [(1)  the name and address of the owner of the
2-13     manufactured home; and]
2-14                 [(2)  the amount of tax owed, the tax year for which
2-15     the tax was imposed, and the name of the taxing unit that imposed
2-16     the tax; and]
2-17                 [(3)  the complete identification number or serial
2-18     number of the manufactured home, or the Department of Housing and
2-19     Urban Development label number or state seal number.]
2-20           [(b)  The collector may simultaneously file notice of tax
2-21     liens of all the taxing units served by the collector.  However,
2-22     notice of any lien for taxes for the preceding calendar year must
2-23     be filed with the department before September 1 of the following
2-24     year.  Any lien for which the notice is not filed by that date is
2-25     unenforceable against:]
2-26                 [(1)  a bona fide purchaser for value who is without
2-27     notice or actual knowledge of the lien or the delinquent taxes for
 3-1     which the tax lien exists; or]
 3-2                 [(2)  the holder of a lien recorded on the manufactured
 3-3     home document of title.]
 3-4           [(c)  If the complete identification or serial number or the
 3-5     Department of Housing and Urban Development label number or state
 3-6     seal number of the home on the tax lien notice matches that of a
 3-7     title of record, the department shall record the tax lien on the
 3-8     title records of the manufactured home.  Simultaneously with the
 3-9     recording of a tax lien, the department must mail a notice of the
3-10     tax lien to any other lienholders of record.]
3-11           [(d)  The department shall record the tax lien under
3-12     Subsection (c) even if the person listed as the owner on the
3-13     department's title records is not the person who owned the
3-14     manufactured home on the date that the tax was imposed.  Recording
3-15     of the tax lien does not invalidate a title document or a
3-16     certificate of title for the manufactured home that was previously
3-17     issued by the department.]
3-18           [(e)  For all manufactured homes sold, or to which ownership
3-19     is transferred, after December 31, 1985, the recording of a tax
3-20     lien under this section constitutes constructive notice of the
3-21     existence of the tax lien to all purchasers of the manufactured
3-22     home who purchase it after the date of recordation of the lien and
3-23     before a tax certificate or paid tax receipt is filed pursuant to
3-24     Subsection (g).]
3-25           [(f)  When the ownership of a manufactured home is
3-26     transferred, the subsequent owner and the lienholder of the home is
3-27     considered to have notice of the ad valorem taxes imposed on the
 4-1     home for the current tax year or for the previous tax year if the
 4-2     time for filing a notice of a tax lien under Subsection (b) has not
 4-3     expired.]
 4-4           [(g)]  On payment of the taxes, penalties, and interest for a
 4-5     year for which a valid tax lien filed before September 1, 2001, has
 4-6     been recorded on the title records of the department, the collector
 4-7     for the taxing unit shall issue a tax certificate showing no taxes
 4-8     due or a tax paid receipt for such year to the person making
 4-9     payment.  When the tax certificate showing no taxes due or tax paid
4-10     receipt is filed with the department, the tax lien is extinguished
4-11     and canceled and shall be removed from the title records of the
4-12     manufactured home.  The collector for a taxing unit may not refuse
4-13     to issue a tax paid receipt to the person who offers to pay the
4-14     taxes, penalties, and interest for a particular year or years, even
4-15     though taxes may also be due for another year or other years.
4-16           (b) [(h)  If a manufactured home for which a notice of a tax
4-17     lien is timely filed does not have a title recorded on the records
4-18     of the department, the tax lien is not extinguished and is
4-19     enforceable.]
4-20           [(i)]  In this section, "department[,]" ["label," "seal,"]
4-21     and "manufactured home" have the meanings assigned by Section 3,
4-22     Texas Manufactured Housing Standards Act (Article 5221f, Vernon's
4-23     Texas Civil Statutes);  however, the term "manufactured home" does
4-24     not include a manufactured home that has been attached to real
4-25     property and for which the document of title has been canceled
4-26     under Section 19(l) of that Act.
4-27           SECTION 3.  Section 32.03(b), Tax Code, is amended to read as
 5-1     follows:
 5-2           (b)  A bona fide purchaser for value or the holder of a lien
 5-3     recorded on the manufactured home document of title is not required
 5-4     to pay any taxes imposed in a tax year that begins before January
 5-5     1, 2001, or[,] penalties[,] or interest on those taxes except for
 5-6     each year [those years] for which a valid tax lien was [has been]
 5-7     duly filed and recorded under Section 32.015, as that section
 5-8     existed on the date the lien was filed, [of this code] and each
 5-9     year [those years] for which the owner of the manufactured home had
5-10     [has] constructive notice of the taxes under Section 32.015(e), as
5-11     that section existed before September 1, 2001 [of this code].  The
5-12     effect and priority of a tax lien that attaches to secure the
5-13     payment of taxes imposed on a manufactured home in a tax year that
5-14     begins on or after January 1, 2001, are those established by
5-15     Sections 32.01 and 32.05.  In this section, "manufactured home" has
5-16     the meaning assigned by Section 32.015(b) [32.015(i) of this code].
5-17           SECTION 4.  Sections 623.093(d), (e), and (f), Transportation
5-18     Code, are amended to read as follows:
5-19           (d)  In this subsection, "consumer," "manufacturer," and
5-20     "retailer" have the meanings assigned by the Texas Manufactured
5-21     Housing Standards Act (Article 5221f, Vernon's Texas Civil
5-22     Statutes).  If the application is for a permit to transport a
5-23     manufactured house from a location other than the location of the
5-24     manufacturer or from the location of the retailer of the
5-25     manufactured house pursuant to the original sale, exchange, or
5-26     lease-purchase of the manufactured house to a consumer, the
5-27     application for a permit must be accompanied by a certificate from
 6-1     the tax assessor-collector for each taxing unit in which the
 6-2     manufactured house is located that states that there are no unpaid
 6-3     ad valorem taxes on the manufactured house due that taxing unit.
 6-4     If the manufactured house is not listed on the most recent tax roll
 6-5     of each taxing unit in which the manufactured house is located, the
 6-6     application for the permit must be accompanied by:
 6-7                 (1)  evidence satisfactory to the department showing
 6-8     that the manufactured house was moved into that taxing unit after
 6-9     January 1 of the current year; or
6-10                 (2)  a certificate from the appraisal district for the
6-11     county in which the manufactured house is located that states that
6-12     the owner of the manufactured house or another person has provided
6-13     that appraisal district with information sufficient to list the
6-14     manufactured house in the supplemental appraisal records of that
6-15     appraisal district. [If the manufactured home is being moved from
6-16     or to a site in this state where it has been, or will be, occupied
6-17     as a dwelling, the permit must also show:]
6-18                 [(1)  the complete serial or identification number;]
6-19                 [(2)  the HUD label or state seal number;]
6-20                 [(3)  the name of the owner of the home; and]
6-21                 [(4)  the location from which the home is being moved
6-22     and the location to which the home is being delivered.]
6-23           (e)  [If the permit shows the additional information required
6-24     by Subsection (d), the department shall send on a quarterly basis a
6-25     copy of the permit, or furnish the essential information in the
6-26     permit, to the tax assessor-collector and the chief appraiser of
6-27     the appraisal district for each county in which the movement begins
 7-1     or ends.]
 7-2           [(f)]  Each quarter the department shall send a copy of each
 7-3     permit for the transportation of a manufactured house that begins
 7-4     or ends in this state, or provide the essential information in the
 7-5     permit, to the chief appraiser of the appraisal district in each
 7-6     county in which the transportation begins or ends.
 7-7           SECTION 5. Section 623.104, Transportation Code, is amended
 7-8     by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
 7-9     follows:
7-10           (a)  A person commits an offense if the person violates this
7-11     subchapter.  An offense under this subsection is a Class C
7-12     misdemeanor, except as provided by Subsection (d).
7-13           (d)  If the offense involves the movement of a manufactured
7-14     house over a highway, road, or street in this state without a
7-15     permit issued by the department, the offense is a misdemeanor
7-16     punishable by a fine of $500.  If the peace officer who arrested or
7-17     issued a citation to the defendant was employed by a law
7-18     enforcement agency of a municipality or a county, a fine imposed
7-19     under this subsection and deposited in the treasury of the
7-20     municipality or county may be appropriated only to that law
7-21     enforcement agency.
7-22           SECTION 6.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
7-23           (b)  The changes in law made by this Act to Section 623.093,
7-24     Transportation Code, apply only to an application for a permit
7-25     under that section that is filed on or after September 1, 2001.  An
7-26     application for a permit under Section 623.093, Transportation
7-27     Code, that was filed before September 1, 2001, is governed by the
 8-1     law in effect on the date the application was filed, and the former
 8-2     law is continued in effect for that purpose.
 8-3           (c)  The changes in law made by this Act to Section 623.104,
 8-4     Transportation Code, apply only to an offense committed under that
 8-5     section on or after September 1, 2001.  An offense under Section
 8-6     623.104, Transportation Code, committed before September 1, 2001,
 8-7     is governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was
 8-8     committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that
 8-9     purpose.  For purposes of this subsection, an offense was committed
8-10     before September 1, 2001, if any element of the offense occurred
8-11     before that date.