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.