BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 1572

By: Alvarado

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, certain municipalities are authorized to adopt an ordinance requiring owners of vacant buildings to register their building with a designated municipal official. Given that a vacant building can pose a threat to any community by attracting vagrants and criminals or curious children who might be harmed by the many hazards found within the property, there have been calls to allow additional municipalities to operate registries of vacant buildings. C.S.S.B. 1572 seeks to allow certain municipalities to provide for voluntary registration of vacant buildings.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.S.B. 1572 amends the Local Government Code to authorize a municipality located in a county that has a population of more than 285,000 and less than 300,000 and borders the Gulf of Mexico to adopt an ordinance that allows but does not require owners of vacant buildings to register their buildings by filing a registration form with a designated municipal official. The bill prohibits that authorization from being construed to grant a municipality authority other than the authority to adopt such an ordinance and prohibits a municipality that adopts such an ordinance from placing a lien on a property solely because the property is registered.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF SENATE ENGROSSED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.S.B. 1572 may differ from the engrossed in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute changes the type of ordinance an applicable municipality may adopt from an ordinance requiring owners of vacant buildings to register their buildings to an ordinance that allows but does not require those owners to register their buildings.

The substitute includes provisions that:

·       prohibit the authorization to adopt such an ordinance from being construed to grant a municipality authority other than the authority to adopt the ordinance; and

·       prohibit a municipality that adopts such an ordinance from placing a lien on property solely because the property is registered.