Monitoring the Session

HB 779

bill widening the property value error margin to 15 percent

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Cody VasutRHouse 25

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 the margin of error to be used by the comptroller of public accounts in connection with the property value study to determine whether the local value for a school district is valid.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

The old margin: 5 percent. Plenty of wiggle room!

This bill lets the state comptroller accept a school district's local property values as valid even when they are off by up to 15 percent from the state's own estimate, up from 5 percent today. It affects school districts and the state school-funding formula, which depends on whose property value number gets used. Starting with the 2026 tax year, more districts will have their local appraisal numbers count instead of the state's numbers.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Nov 12, 2024 and referred to the House Ways & Means committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB779 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

ITEM

relating to the margin of error to be used by the comptroller of public accounts in connection with the property value study to determine whether the local value for a school district is valid.

WHAT IT DOES

The old margin: 5 percent. Plenty of wiggle room!

This bill lets the state comptroller accept a school district's local property values as valid even when they are off by up to 15 percent from the state's own estimate, up from 5 percent today. It affects school districts and the state school-funding formula, which depends on whose property value number gets used. Starting with the 2026 tax year, more districts will have their local appraisal numbers count instead of the state's numbers.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Ways & Means
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Donors

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 · Oct 29, 2024 to Oct 19, 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 Lawsuit Reform PAC$40,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 27, 2025 to Oct 7, 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: 101005740, 101033392, 101072869.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$12,750.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$12,750.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$12,750.00
advertising $250.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100981647, 101005740, 101062767, 101072869.

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC$11,000.00

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 65 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jun 2, 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: 100981647, 101033392, 101062767.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 27, 2025 to Oct 7, 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: 101005740, 101033392, 101072869.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$12,750.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$12,750.00
advertising $250.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100981647, 101005740, 101062767, 101072869.

×

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 65 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jun 2, 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: 100981647, 101033392, 101062767.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

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 Nov 12, 2024

03/05/2025 H Referred to Ways & Means: Mar 5 2025 11:46AM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 6:51 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

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

Subjects

Education--Primary & Secondary--Finance

Taxation--Property-Appraisals & Appraisal Districts

Taxation--Property-State Administration

Taxation--School District

COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

Text

The text as introduced · 344 words

89R3210 LHC-D

By: Vasut
H.B. No. 779

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the margin of error to be used by the comptroller of

public accounts in connection with the property value study to

determine whether the local value for a school district is valid.

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

SECTION 1. Section 403.302(c), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(c) If after conducting the study the comptroller

determines that the local value for a school district is valid, the

local value is presumed to represent taxable value for the school

district. In the absence of that presumption, taxable value for a

school district is the state value for the school district

determined by the comptroller under Subsections (a) and (b) unless

the local value exceeds the state value, in which case the taxable

value for the school district is the district's local value. In

determining whether the local value for a school district is valid,

the comptroller shall use a margin of error that does not exceed 15

[ five ] percent unless the comptroller determines that the size of

the sample of properties necessary to make the determination makes

the use of such a margin of error not feasible, in which case the

comptroller may use a larger margin of error.

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only

to the study conducted under Section 403.302, Government Code, for

a tax year that begins on or after January 1, 2026. The study for a

tax year that begins before that date is covered by the law in

effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the

prior law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. 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.