79S30344 JD-D

By:  Otto                                                         H.B. No. 60 



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the margin of error to be used by the comptroller of 
public accounts in connection with the annual property value study 
to determine whether the local value for a school district is valid.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 403.302(c), Government Code, is amended 
to read as follows:
	(c)  If after conducting the annual study the comptroller 
determines that the local value for a school district is valid, the 
local value is presumed to represent taxable value for the school 
district.  In the absence of that presumption, taxable value for a 
school district is the state value for the school district 
determined by the comptroller under Subsections (a) and (b) unless 
the local value exceeds the state value, in which case the taxable 
value for the school district is the district's local value.  In 
determining whether the local value for a school district is valid, 
the comptroller shall use a margin of error that does not exceed 10
[five] percent unless the comptroller determines that the size of 
the sample of properties necessary to make the determination makes 
the use of such a margin of error not feasible, in which case the 
comptroller may use a larger margin of error.
	SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only 
to the annual study conducted under Section 403.302, Government 
Code, for a tax year that begins on or after January 1, 2006.  The 
annual study for a tax year that begins before that date is covered 
by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this 
Act, and the prior law is continued in effect for that purpose.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the 
legislative session.