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Below is a spotlight on certain bills addressing bond debt and tax rate language related to their passing:

SB 1252 (Bettencourt) – text required on the ballot

  • “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE” statement required on certain ballot propositions
  • SB 1252 was voted out of the Senate on 4/20 and has been referred to House Ways & Means

SB 2433(Bettencourt) is a large bill that relates to election practices and procedures BUT it also has a section in it that incorporates language from SB 824/HB 453

  • Section 5 of the bill amends Sec. 43.031 of the Election Code by adding subsection (f):
    • If the entity that owns or controls a public building
      selected for a polling place under this section is a school district
      and fails to make the building available in accordance with
      Subsection (c), the district may not designate the building as a
      polling place for an election for the board of trustees or for a
      school district bond election until after the fifth anniversary of
      the date of the election in which the district failed to comply with
      this section.
  • SB 2433 was voted out of the Senate on 4/20 and has been referred to House Elections

HB 159 (Landgraf) – public notice required on certain ad valorem tax-related information

  • Information required on the home page would be summarized in the newspaper, with some exceptions
  • HB 159 was passed out of the House on 4/26 and was referred to Senate Local Government  

SB 2035 (Bettencourt) – would extend the length of time from the current three years to five years that a taxing entity is prohibited from using certificates of obligation (COs) to fund a voter-rejected project

  • The bill also prohibits the issuance of tax anticipation notes (TANs) for five years if the voters reject a bond proposal
  • SB 2035 was passed out of the Senate on 4/26 and has moved over to the House for further deliberation  

SB 2350 (Bettencourt) – would restrict changes or updates to truth in taxation worksheet

  • Will codify that once the voter-approval tax rate is adopted by the taxing entity, the worksheet cannot be changed or adjusted which would impact the unused increment rate of a taxing unit
  • SB 2350 was passed out of the Senate on 4/27 and will move to the House for further deliberations  

HB 3899 (Troxclair) – amends the Transportation Code addressing the issuance of bonds by certain local government corporations

  • SB 1791 is the Senate Companion
  • As amended includes in its subchapter the definition of bond to include “a note, revenue bond, or loan”
  • The bill provides limitations on such a corporation’s authority to issue certain bonds that are similar to the limitations placed on municipalities and counties
  • There is a requirement that a bond election under the bill’s provisions be held on the November uniform election date
  • HB 3899 was passed out of the House on 5/2 and will now move to the Senate for further consideration  

SB 1814 (Bettencourt) – relating to debt service and calculation of the current debt rate

  • Amends the definition of “current debt” for calculating the interest and sinking rate to include only the minimum amount required by the bond issuance schedule
  • The bill has 1 adopted floor amendment as it passed out of the Senate chamber which allowed flexibility with setting the interest and sinking rate by requiring approval by a certain percentage according to the amendment layout
  • SB 1814 was passed out of the Senate on 5/3 and will move to the House for further deliberations 

SB 946 (Sparks) – requires bonds, other debt, or tax increases to be held on the November uniform election date

  • A similar bill HB 187 (Landgraf) requiring bond propositions to be placed on the November uniform election date, was heard in a House committee on 4/5 and left pending (its companion SB 1609 by Sparks has not yet been heard in its originating chamber committee)
  • SB 946 has been placed on the Senate Intent Calendar since 4/12