H.B. 3232 78(R) Page  of 1BILL ANALYSIS


H.B. 3232
By: Smith, Todd
Urban Affairs
Committee Report (Unamended)


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

House Bill 3232 would amend Health and Safety Code, Chapter 342, Local
Regulation of Sanitation.  Chapter 342 contains recent legislation
permitting municipalities to assess clean-up expenses on property found to
be in violation of sanitation ordinances, following notice to the property
owner; current legislation permits the city to file a lien statement with
the county clerk; the lien is inferior to tax and street improvement liens
and carries an interest rate of 10 percent.  H.B. 3232 would permit a tax
collector to put on the property tax bill the expenses due a city under
chapter 342. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 

ANALYSIS

Amends Chapter 342, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section 342.0075
which permits a municipality to request the property tax collector to
include on the property tax bill a "separate item" for the expenses
imposed by the municipality, including accrued interest, to reimburse the
city expenses for cleaning up property under Section 342.007, and such
item must be shown in the total amount due on the bill; tax collector, if
not an employee or officer of the municipality, is entitled to a
"reasonable fee" for the services performed under this section; payment of
property taxes requires the payment of clean-up expenses, and interest
accrued; applicable to expenses incurred and the related interest accrued
before, on, or after effective date. 

EFFECTIVE DATE:  September 1, 2003.