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Committee passes bill requiring three‑fourths vote to divert property tax relief trust fund
Summary
HB1074 passed out of the House Revenue & Taxation Committee to require a three‑fourths legislative vote before using Property Tax Relief Trust Fund money for any purpose other than property tax relief. DFA said the bill has no administrative (physical) impact; the motion to pass carried in committee.
State Representative David Ray’s House Bill 1074 would require a three‑fourths vote to use funds from the Property Tax Relief Trust Fund for purposes other than property tax relief. The Revenue & Taxation Committee voted to pass the bill at the hearing.
Ray told the committee the intent is to honor voter intent under Amendment 79 by making it more difficult to repurpose the fund. He said the half‑cent sales tax that feeds the trust fund generates about $333 million per year on average, a figure he said came from a briefing by Bureau of Legislative Research last year.
Paul Gehring of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) told the committee DFA was preparing a report on the trust fund balance and would provide that number to committee staff by the end of the week. Gehring also explained why the bill produced no physical impact report: the measure changes a voting threshold and does not alter DFA’s administrative processes.
Members of the committee recalled past examples of the trust fund being tapped for other purposes; Ray and others cited a 2019 withdrawal of just over $8 million to help counties buy voting equipment. Representative Lundstrom offered the motion to pass the bill; after the chair called for voices in favor and none registered opposition, the chair said the bill had passed the committee.
The committee record shows support from the Association of Counties and the Assessors Association, per Ray’s closing remarks. DFA will deliver the trust fund balance and a report to committee staff as requested.
