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Committee amends and advances property‑tax rebalancing bill (HB155)
Summary
The House Taxation Committee adopted an amendment to House Bill 155 modifying residential and commercial property‑tax treatment, then voted 16‑5 to pass the bill as amended; sponsors said the bill rebalances tax burden toward pre‑pandemic shares while opponents warned about net effects once upcoming reappraisals are factored.
During executive action the committee considered House Bill 155 with an amendment (HB155.001.001) offered by Representative Thain that added commercial property to the title, changed how vacant lots and multifamily properties are treated, and replaced a proposed commercial exemption with a tiered lower rate on the first $200,000 of taxable commercial value to simplify administration. "So this is just a lot cleaner language and easier to administer on the department's part," Thain said, describing the revisions.
The committee used a voice vote to adopt the amendment (ayes announced; proxies recorded). Representative Thain then moved that the committee "do pass" HB155 as amended. Members debated the bill's intent and distributional effects: sponsors argued HB155 rebalances property‑tax shares toward pre‑pandemic levels and would provide approximately $135 million in residential relief statewide, while others cautioned the net effect could be small once an expected statewide 21–22% reassessment (projected to raise assessed values and tax burdens) is accounted for.
The committee took a roll‑call vote on HB155 as amended; the secretary recorded a 16 to 5 passage out of the committee with multiple 'aye by proxy' notations. The bill will move forward in the legislative process. Advocates and some lawmakers urged keeping multiple approaches alive to continue refinement; sponsors said the amendment reduced implementation complexity for the Department of Revenue.
