Governor Abbott vetoes HB 994 (86R)
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 14, of the Texas Constitution, I, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, do hereby disapprove of and veto House Bill No. 994 as passed by the Eighty-Sixth Texas Legislature, Regular Session, because of the following objections:
The Tax Code permits homeowners to protest the appraised value of their property to an Appraisal Review Board and, if they are not satisfied with the Board’s ruling, to appeal that ruling to district court or binding arbitration. House Bill 994 would have created an exception to this process for just one county, allowing homeowners in Atascosa County whose homes are valued at $500,000 or less to appeal to a justice of the peace, rather than to a district court or arbitration. The Legislature has not identified a reason to treat the residents of one county so differently, and to depart from uniform procedures for property tax appraisal and protest.
Since the Eighty-Sixth Texas Legislature, Regular Session, by its adjournment has prevented the return of this bill, I am filing these objections in the office of the Secretary of State and giving notice thereof by this public proclamation according to the aforementioned constitutional provision.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have signed my name officially and caused the Seal of the State to be affixed hereto at Austin, this 15th day of June, 2019.
GREG ABBOTT
Governor