Texas Senate bill by Sen. Eckhardt expands teacher eligibility for appraisal review boards

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt seeks to broaden teacher participation in appraisal review boards by amending eligibility criteria, aiming to enhance their role in the property appraisal process, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 11 Democrats and 12 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while eight Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 56 Democrats and 24 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat and 55 Republicans voted against it.

Sarah Eckhardt introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Wednesday, Jan. 29, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Eckhardt graduated from New York University in 1986 with a BA and again in 1998 from University of Texas with a JD.

Eckhardt, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2020 to represent the state’s 14th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Kirk Watson.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the eligibility of a person employed by a school district as a teacher to serve on the appraisal review board of an appraisal district; creating a criminal offense’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends Section 6.412(c) of the Texas Tax Code to allow a person employed by a school district as a teacher to serve on the appraisal review board of an appraisal district, despite existing ineligibility criteria that prohibit members of the board of directors, officers, or employees of the appraisal district, employees of the comptroller, and members of the governing body, officers, or employees of a taxing unit from serving. The bill aims to expand the eligibility for teachers, enhancing their participation in the appraisal process. The act is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (Republican – District 7), Sen. Angela Paxton (Republican – District 8), and Sen. Roland Gutierrez (Democrat – District 19), along with three other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Friday, May 30, but was vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday, June 22.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.