A group of 42 Texas House members is urging Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill passed in the final days of the legislative session that would allow public school teachers to serve on local property appraisal review boards—a measure Abbott previously rejected.
Senate Bill 974, authored by Austin Democrat State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt and carried in the House by Fort Worth Democrat State Rep. Chris Turner, seeks to carve out an exception in state law to permit school district employees who work as teachers to serve on the boards that hear protests on property tax appraisals.
Current law bars government employees, including those working for school districts, from serving on the boards due to potential conflicts of interest. But under SB 974, teachers would be exempt from that prohibition.
The bill includes a new criminal offense to prevent school board members or district staff from trying to influence a teacher serving on the board.
Still, critics say that’s not enough.
In a letter sent to the governor, 42 House members, led by State Rep. Mike Olcott (R–Aledo), called on Abbott to veto the bill, arguing that it “establishes a clear conflict of interest.”
“An employee who is paid by a school district should not be involved in the processes of determining the value of property that is taxed to generate funding for the district,” the letter reads.
The House passed the bill by a vote of 80–56. A majority of Republicans opposed it.
The Senate approved the final version in a 23-8 vote.
Turner, who carried the bill in the House, acknowledged during debate that Abbott vetoed a nearly identical measure last session. At the time, Abbott cited the potential conflict of interest in allowing employees of taxing entities to sit on boards that affect local tax revenues.
The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025—unless the governor vetoes it first.
Abbott has until June 22 to act on bills passed during the regular session. If Abbott neither signs nor vetoes SB 974 by that date, the bill will become law without his signature.
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