HBA-ALS, BTC H.B. 374 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 374 By: Culberson Ways and Means 2/8/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, an individual who is 65 or older may defer paying delinquent homestead property taxes by filing a tax deferral affidavit with the appraisal district. However, a tax deferral affidavit may not be filed until the property taxes become delinquent. A property owner becomes subject to financial penalties if the property taxes become delinquent. Therefore, an individual who files for a deferral is subject to a late penalty. H.B. 374 allows a deferral to be filed before the taxes become delinquent, thereby preventing the imposition of penalties. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Sections 33.06(a) and (b), Tax Code, to authorize an individual who is 65 or older, when obtaining a deferral of a suit to collect delinquent taxes on the individual's homestead, to file the required affidavit, before, on, or after the date property taxes become delinquent. Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.