Honorable Dennis Bonnen, Chair, House Committee on Ways & Means
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB285 by Springer (relating to the prohibition on posting on the Internet information held by an appraisal district regarding certain residential property.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend Section 25.027 of the Tax Code, regarding property taxation and local appraisal, to permit the posting of a street level photograph of only the exterior of a building and the posting of a field record or an overhead sketch of property that depicts only specified features. The bill also modifies the current allowable posting of aerial photographs to include photographs that depict more than one separately owned building, rather than photographs that depict five or more separately owned buildings. The bill provides a process for an owner to submit a written request to a chief appraiser to request that the appraisal district's website not include information identifying the owner of the property and for the appraisal district to remove the information as soon as practicable. The bill requires an appraisal district to post and maintain on their website a statement of an owner's right to make this request.
The bill would not affect taxable property values, tax rates, collection rates, or any other variable which might affect the revenues of units of local governments or the state.
The bill would take effect immediately upon enactment, assuming the requisite two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature. Otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2015.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.