Honorable Robert Duncan, Chair, Senate Committee on Jurisprudence
FROM:
John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB853 by Madla (Relating to the disclosure of certain information by persons offering to aid homeowners in obtaining property tax refunds.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill amends Section 41.0051 of the Property Code relating to disclosures of certain information by persons offering to assist in obtaining property tax refunds.The bill requires a person who solicits, solely by mail or telephone, a homeowner to pay for the service of applying for a property tax refund, shall before accepting money from the homeowner or signing a contract with the homeowner, disclose to the homeowner the name of the tax appraisal district or governmental body that owes the homeowner the a refund. Failure to make the required disclosure constitutes a deceptive trade practice under Section 17.46 (a) of the Business & Commerce Code. The Office of Attorney General indicates that any additional workload associated with passage of the bill could be absorbed by current resources. The Act takes effect on September 1, 2003.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.