By: Taylor of Collin  S.B. No. 717          (In the Senate - Filed February 2, 2017; February 21, 2017,   read first time and referred to Committee on Finance;   March 20, 2017, reported adversely, with favorable Committee   Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 15, Nays 0; March 20, 2017,   sent to printer.)Click here to see the committee vote    COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 717 By:  Uresti     A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT     relating to the reappraisal for ad valorem tax purposes of property   damaged in a disaster.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 23.02, Tax Code, is amended to read as   follows:          Sec. 23.02.  REAPPRAISAL OF PROPERTY DAMAGED IN DISASTER   AREA. (a)  The chief appraiser of an appraisal district that   appraises property for [governing body of] a taxing unit that is   located partly or entirely inside an area declared to be a disaster   area by the governor shall reappraise [may authorize reappraisal   of] all property that the Federal Emergency Management Agency or   its successor agency estimates to have sustained five percent or   greater damage as a result of [damaged in] the disaster at its   market value immediately after the disaster.          (a-1)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a property owner may   refuse to have the owner's property reappraised under this section.          (b)  The chief appraiser [If a taxing unit authorizes a   reappraisal pursuant to this section, the appraisal office] shall   complete the reappraisal not later than the 45th day after the date   the governor declares the area to be a disaster area [as soon as   practicable].          (b-1)  Notwithstanding Subsection (b), if the Federal   Emergency Management Agency or its successor agency does not   complete the damage estimates described by Subsection (a) on or   before the deadline for completing the reappraisal prescribed by   Subsection (b), the chief appraiser shall complete the reappraisal   as soon as practicable after the damage estimates are completed.          (b-2)  The chief appraiser [appraisal office] shall include   on the appraisal records, in addition to other information required   or authorized by law:                (1)  the date of the disaster; and                (2)  the appraised value of the property after the   disaster[; and                [(3)     if the reappraisal is not authorized by all   taxing units in which the property is located, an indication of the   taxing units to which the reappraisal applies].          (c)  A taxing unit for which property is reappraised [that   authorizes a reappraisal] under this section must pay the appraisal   district all the costs of making the reappraisal. If property in   the same territory is reappraised for two or more taxing units   [provide for the reappraisal in the same territory], each unit   shall share the costs of the reappraisal in that territory in the   proportion the total dollar amount of taxes each unit imposed in   that territory in the preceding year bears to the total dollar   amount of taxes all units [providing for reappraisal of that   territory] imposed in that territory in the preceding year.          (d)  If property damaged in a disaster is reappraised for a   taxing unit as provided by this section, the governing body of the   taxing unit shall provide for prorating the taxes on the property   for the year in which the disaster occurred.  The [If the taxes are]   prorated[,] taxes due on the property are determined as follows:   the taxes on the property based on its value on January 1 of that   year are multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of which is 365   and the numerator of which is the number of days before the date the   disaster occurred; the taxes on the property based on its   reappraised value are multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of   which is 365 and the numerator of which is the number of days,   including the date the disaster occurred, remaining in the year;   and the total of the two amounts is the amount of taxes on the   property for the year.          (e)  The comptroller may adopt rules to implement and   administer this section.          SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only   to the reappraisal of property located in an area that is declared   to be a disaster area by the governor on or after the effective date   of this Act. The reappraisal of property located in an area that   was declared to be a disaster area by the governor before the   effective date of this Act is governed by the law as it existed   immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is   continued in effect for that purpose.          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, 2017.     * * * * *