Monitoring the Session

HB 5578

bill putting appraisal budget hearing notices online

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Drew DarbyRHouse 72

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to notice of a public hearing at which the board of directors of an appraisal district will consider the appraisal district budget.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Newspaper plus a website or social media page, 10 days ahead.

The bill requires the chief appraiser to post notice of the appraisal district budget hearing at least 10 days ahead, in a local newspaper and also on the appraisal district's or county's website home page or official social media page. It also requires notice of any change in the hearing location at least 5 days before the hearing, and sets a minimum quarter-page ad size outside the legal-notice section. Appraisal districts in counties under 20,000 people may instead publish both notices only in an online newspaper, with preference for one owned or run by a print paper.

Labels

Labels: PENDING FOREVER. Heard by the House Ways & Means subcommittee on Property Tax Appraisals on May 1, 2025 and left pending. Never voted out. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB5578 · 2025-03-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Drew DarbyRHouse 72

ITEM

relating to notice of a public hearing at which the board of directors of an appraisal district will consider the appraisal district budget.

WHAT IT DOES

Newspaper plus a website or social media page, 10 days ahead.

The bill requires the chief appraiser to post notice of the appraisal district budget hearing at least 10 days ahead, in a local newspaper and also on the appraisal district's or county's website home page or official social media page. It also requires notice of any change in the hearing location at least 5 days before the hearing, and sets a minimum quarter-page ad size outside the legal-notice section. Appraisal districts in counties under 20,000 people may instead publish both notices only in an online newspaper, with preference for one owned or run by a print paper.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 29, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to s/c on Property Tax Appraisals by Speaker
  4. Scheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .
  5. Considered by s/c in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in s/c
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
  8. Left pending in subcommittee
  9. Considered by s/c in formal meeting
  10. Committee substitute considered in s/c
  11. Reported from s/c favorably with substitute
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Drew Darby

Donors

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC$50KGideon Powell$30,000Dustin Burrows Campaign$28K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 9, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC$50,000.00

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$50,000.00

Cash
$50,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$50,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 25, 2025 to Oct 8, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101007659, 101072052.

Gideon Powell$30,000.00
Dustin Burrows Campaign$27,600.00

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$27,600.00

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$27,600.00
Total
$27,600.00
polling $27,600.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Aug 5, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101068080.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$50,000.00

Cash
$50,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$50,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 25, 2025 to Oct 8, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101007659, 101072052.

×

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$27,600.00

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$27,600.00
Total
$27,600.00
polling $27,600.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Aug 5, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101068080.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 29, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 14, 2025

05/07/2025 H Reported from s/c favorably with substitute

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Ways & Means · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Open Meetings

Taxation--Property-Appraisals & Appraisal Districts

PUBLIC NOTICE

Text

The text as introduced · 432 words

By: Darby
H.B. No. 5578

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to notice of a public hearing at which the board of

directors of an appraisal district will consider the appraisal

district budget.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 6.062, Tax Code, is amended by adding

subsection (a) and adding subsections (a-1), (d), and (e) to read as

follows:

Sec. 6.062. PUBLICATION OF BUDGET. (a) Not later than the

10th day before the date of the public hearing at which the board of

directors considers the appraisal district budget, the chief

appraiser shall give notice of the public hearing by publishing the

notice in a newspaper having general circulation in the county for

which the appraisal district is established ; and either:

(1) on the home page of the:

(A) county appraisal district’s Internet

website, if the county appraisal district maintains an Internet

website; or

(B) county’s Internet website, if the county

maintains an Internet website and the county appraisal district

does not maintain an Internet website; or

(2) on the official social media page for the:

(A) county appraisal district, if the county

appraisal district maintains an official social media page; or

(B) county, if the county maintains an official

social media page and the county appraisal district does not

maintain an official social media page.

(a-1) The notice published under Subdivision(a)(3) may not

be smaller than one-quarter page of a standard-size or tabloid-size

newspaper and may not be published in the part of the paper in which

legal notices and classified advertisements appear.

(d) The chief appraiser shall provide notice of any change

of the location of a public hearing for which notice is provided

under this section in the same manner as the notice required by

Subsection (a). The notice must be provided not later than the 5th

day before the date of the hearing.

(e) This subsection applies only to an appraisal district

established in a county with a population of less than 20,000.

Notwithstanding Subsections (a) and (d), a chief appraiser may

publish a notice required by Subsection (a) or (d) solely in an

online newspaper having general circulation in the county with

preference given to an online newspaper primarily owned or operated

by a print newspaper.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.