|
|
|
|
By: Hill (Senate Sponsor - Hegar) |
H.B. No. 402 |
|
(In the Senate - Received from the House March 29, 2007; |
|
April 3, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on State |
|
Affairs; April 30, 2007, reported adversely, with favorable |
|
Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; |
|
April 30, 2007, sent to printer.) |
|
|
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 402 |
By: Harris |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a prohibition on ex parte communications between a |
|
member of the board of directors and the chief appraiser of an |
|
appraisal district; providing a penalty. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 6, Tax Code, is amended by |
|
adding Section 6.15 to read as follows: |
|
Sec. 6.15. EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS; PENALTY. (a) A member |
|
of the board of directors of an appraisal district commits an |
|
offense if the member directly or indirectly communicates with the |
|
chief appraiser on any matter relating to the appraisal of property |
|
by the appraisal district, except in: |
|
(1) an open meeting of the appraisal district board of |
|
directors or another public forum; or |
|
(2) a closed meeting of the board of directors held to |
|
consult with the board's attorney about pending litigation, at |
|
which the chief appraiser's presence is necessary for full |
|
communication between the board and the board's attorney. |
|
(b) A chief appraiser commits an offense if the chief |
|
appraiser directly or indirectly communicates with a member of the |
|
board of directors of the appraisal district on any matter relating |
|
to the appraisal of property by the appraisal district, except in: |
|
(1) an open meeting of the board of directors or |
|
another public forum; or |
|
(2) a closed meeting of the board of directors held to |
|
consult with the board's attorney about pending litigation, at |
|
which the chief appraiser's presence is necessary for full |
|
communication between the board and the board's attorney. |
|
(c) Subsections (a) and (b) do not apply to a routine |
|
communication between the chief appraiser and the county |
|
assessor-collector that relates to the administration of an |
|
appraisal roll, including a communication made in connection with |
|
the certification, correction, or collection of an account, |
|
regardless of whether the county assessor-collector was appointed |
|
to the board of directors of the appraisal district or serves as a |
|
nonvoting director. |
|
(d) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor. |
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |
|
|
|
* * * * * |