By: Wray, Toth (Senate Sponsor - Hughes) H.B. No. 2179
         (In the Senate - Received from the House April 3, 2019;
  April 4, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on
  Property Tax; May 17, 2019, reported favorably by the following
  vote:  Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 17, 2019, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the grounds for imposing certain sanctions on certain
  persons for engaging in certain conduct in connection with the
  appointment of members of or the functions of appraisal review
  boards.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 6.41(f) and (i), Tax Code, are amended
  to read as follows:
         (f)  A member of the board may be removed from the board by a
  majority vote of the appraisal district board of directors, or by
  the local administrative district judge or the judge's designee, as
  applicable, that appointed the member. Grounds for removal are:
               (1)  a violation of Section 6.412, 6.413, 41.66(f), or
  41.69;
               (2)  good cause relating to the attendance of members
  at called meetings of the board as established by written policy
  adopted by a majority of the appraisal district board of directors;
  or
               (3)  [clear and convincing] evidence of repeated bias
  or misconduct.
         (i)  This subsection applies only to an appraisal district
  described by Subsection (d-1). A chief appraiser or another
  employee or agent of the appraisal district, a member of the
  appraisal review board for the appraisal district, a member of the
  board of directors of the appraisal district, a property tax
  consultant, or an agent of a property owner commits an offense if
  the person communicates with the local administrative district
  judge regarding the appointment of appraisal review board members.
  This subsection does not apply to:
               (1)  a communication between a member of the appraisal
  review board and the local administrative district judge regarding
  the member's reappointment to the board;
               (2)  a communication between the taxpayer liaison
  officer for the appraisal district and the local administrative
  district judge in the course of the performance of the officer's
  clerical duties so long as the officer does not offer an opinion or
  comment regarding the appointment of appraisal review board
  members;
               (3)  a communication between a chief appraiser or
  another employee or agent of the appraisal district, a member of the
  appraisal review board for the appraisal district, or a member of
  the board of directors of the appraisal district and the local
  administrative district judge regarding information relating to or
  described by Subsection (d-1), (d-5), or (f) of this section or
  Section 411.1296, Government Code; [or]
               (4)  a communication between a property tax consultant
  or a property owner or an agent of the property owner and the
  taxpayer liaison officer for the appraisal district regarding
  information relating to or described by Subsection (f). The
  taxpayer liaison officer for the appraisal district shall report
  the contents of the communication relating to or described by
  Subsection (f) to the local administrative district judge; or
               (5)  a communication between a property tax consultant
  or a property owner or an agent of the property owner and the local
  administrative district judge regarding information relating to or
  described by Subsection (f).
         SECTION 2.  (a) Section 6.41(f), Tax Code, as amended by this
  Act, applies only to a proceeding to remove an appraisal review
  board member that begins on or after the effective date of this Act.
  A proceeding to remove an appraisal review board member that began
  before the effective date of this Act is governed by that subsection
  as it existed on the date the proceeding to remove the board member
  began, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         (b)  The change in law made by this Act to Section 6.41(i),
  Tax Code, applies only to an offense committed under that
  subsection before, on, or after the effective date of this Act,
  except that a final conviction for an offense committed under that
  subsection before the effective date of this Act is unaffected by
  this Act.
         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 September 1, 2019.
 
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