79R8895 JD-F

By:  Madla                                                        S.B. No. 1334



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the determination of school district property values 
and to the school district property value study conducted by the 
comptroller of public accounts.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 403.3011, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Subdivision (1-a) to read as follows:
		(1-a)  "Assisted school district" means a school 
district:           
			(A)  for which the comptroller has determined:                        
				(i)  that in the most recent annual study, 
the local value is invalid under Section 403.302(c) and the 
aggregate local value of all of the categories of property sampled 
by the comptroller is less than 95 percent of the lower limit of the 
margin of error, as determined by the comptroller, of the aggregate 
value, as determined by the comptroller, of all of the categories of 
property sampled by the comptroller; or
				(ii)  that in each of the two most recent 
annual studies, the district's local value is invalid under Section 
403.302(c) and the aggregate local value of all of the categories of 
property sampled by the comptroller in each of those annual studies 
is less than 97.5 percent of the lower limit of the margin of error, 
as determined by the comptroller, of the aggregate value, as 
determined by the comptroller, of all of the categories of property 
sampled by the comptroller; and
			(B)  that protests the comptroller's findings 
under Section 403.302(g) or (h) by timely filing a petition with the 
comptroller under Section 403.303 for each applicable year.
	SECTION 2.  Section 403.302(l), Government Code, is amended 
to read as follows:
	(l)  If after conducting the annual study for the year 2003 
or a subsequent year the comptroller determines that a school 
district is an eligible school district or an assisted school 
district, for that year and the following year the taxable value for 
the school district is the district's local value.  Not later than 
the first anniversary of the date of the determination that a school 
district is an eligible school district or an assisted school 
district, the comptroller shall complete an appraisal standards 
review as provided by Section 5.102, Tax Code, of each appraisal 
district that appraises property for the school district.
	SECTION 3.  Section 5.102(a), Tax Code, is amended to read as 
follows:       
	(a)  The comptroller shall review the appraisal standards, 
procedures, and methodology used by each appraisal district that 
appraises property for an eligible school district or an assisted 
school district as defined by Section 403.3011, Government Code, to 
determine compliance with generally accepted appraisal standards 
and practices.  The comptroller by rule may establish procedures 
and standards for conducting the review.
	SECTION 4.  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 September 1, 2005.