The Senate Committee on Local Government voted 4-1 to report House Bill 17 to the full Senate after extensive debate about mailing costs, operational feasibility and possible amendments to reduce local cost burdens.

House Bill 17 was described by the Senate sponsor as a bill to increase transparency and taxpayer information about property-tax rate-setting. The measure would require taxing entities to mail notices to property owners informing them about proposed tax collections and hearings, and to include comparative information — for example, how proposed collections compare with last year and a presentation adjusted for population and inflation. The sponsor said the bill is a priority of the House speaker and aims to give property owners “uniform, easy to understand notices.”

Committee discussion focused on implementation challenges. Senators and witnesses raised the cost of mailing to every property parcel: examples cited included a rural county with approximately 90,000 mailings, Harris County’s 1,700,000 parcels, and a school district estimate of more than $300,000 in printing and postage for a single mailing. A Texas Association of School Boards representative, Kelly Rofsky, testified against the bill as written, saying it would "cost school districts millions statewide over the biennium" and called it an unfunded mandate that would divert classroom dollars.

Witness Adam Haines, representing a county appraisal entity, also testified against the bill as introduced but encouraged using existing data infrastructure. Several senators suggested leveraging the existing statewide portal, texaspropertytaxes.gov, and expanding electronic notice opt-in options already managed through central appraisal districts to reduce paper mail burden. The chair and other senators discussed amendments to allow consolidation of mailings, using appraisal-district data files to push meeting dates, and accelerating opt-in email registration through QR codes on existing notices.

Committee members asked staff to develop more carefully considered amendment language before the bill reaches the floor; the sponsor agreed to pursue an amendment that would incorporate opt-in email mechanisms and approaches to minimize mailing costs. The bill as submitted will take effect next year, allowing one legislative cycle of data to inform further changes.

The committee recorded four ayes and one nay when reporting HB 17 to the full Senate. Recorded public testimony included opposition from the Texas Association of School Boards and testimony from a county official urging use of centralized data and caution about duplicative notices.