HB 247 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation of the amount of the appraised value of real property located in certain counties that arises from the installation or construction on the property of border security infrastructure and related improvements and to the consideration of the price paid by certain governmental entities for a parcel of or easement in real property purchased for the purpose of installing or constructing such infrastructure when appraising other real property.

HB 247 exempts property owners in Texas counties bordering Mexico from paying property taxes on the increased tax value caused by border security infrastructure (like walls, fences, or roads) installed on their land under specific agreements. It also prevents government entities from having to pay higher property taxes when purchasing land or easements for border security projects, as the price paid for those parcels won’t factor into appraising other nearby properties. The law applies only to real property in border counties and covers both infrastructure built on private land and government acquisitions for such projects. This directly affects landowners in border counties and state/federal agencies managing border security. The policy change simplifies tax treatment for border infrastructure development without altering overall property tax rates.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Feb 27, 2025 Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed Enrolled · 3 edits · Jun 20, 2025
MINOR
This bill text was converted from an 'Engrossed' version to an 'Enrolled' version, which is the final version signed by the Governor. The substantive policy content remains the same, but the formatting was cleaned up, removed digital content notes, and added official signatures and certification of passage. No policy changes occurred.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; this is a procedural conversion to the final enrolled version.
TECHNICAL

Removed digital content accessibility notes and page markers that were present in the engrossed version.

Added official signatures, certification of passage by House and Senate, and Governor approval section to finalize the bill.

Reformatted text to remove inconsistent spacing and markup artifacts from the legislative drafting process.

Floor votes · Senate May 21, 2025 · House May 6, 2025

How they voted

246
Passed
Total votes 30
May 21, 2025
D Democratic10
4 Yea 6 Nay
60% Nay
R Republican20
20 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
46
Key actions
15
Committee
10
Jun 20, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage reported
lower
May 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
May 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to Local Government
upper
May 7, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 7, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
Mar 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Mar 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Mar 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Mar 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Feb 27, 2025
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means
lower
Feb 27, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
2 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors