HB 1127 Summary

• Redefines "good cause" for rescheduling property value adjustment board hearings to include circumstances beyond a person's control that prevent adequate representation, such as being scheduled in different jurisdictions simultaneously.

• Prohibits property appraisers from increasing tax assessments above court-established assessments for 4 years when the taxpayer prevails in a contest action.

• Creates civil liability for taxpayers injured by a property appraiser's willful violations, allowing recovery of treble damages and reasonable attorney fees.

• Requires property appraiser employees engaged in property valuation or classification to be licensed as appraisers under chapter 475 or certified by the Department of Revenue, and mandates correction of mathematical, clerical, measurement, or technical errors within a reasonable time.

• Requires the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to annually review and report on property assessments exceeding 10 percent increases, including data on contracts over $500,000 executed by individual property appraisers, effective July 1, 2017.