No. CS/CS/HJR 203
Filed under Education.
Elimination of Non-school Property for Homesteads; Proposes amendment to State Constitution to make homestead property exempt from all ad valorem taxation other than school district levies beginning in a specified year, to prohibit local governments from reducing total funding for services provided by law enforcement, firefighters, and other first responders, and provide an effective date.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDStarting in 2027, homestead property is exempt from all ad valorem taxes except school district levies. This eliminates the current $50,000 to $75,000 exemption tier for non-school taxes.
Local governments must maintain first responder funding at or above the higher of the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 budget levels. This prevents budget cuts despite the loss of property tax revenue.
The bill repeals the annual inflation adjustment for the $25,000 homestead exemption. It also removes the authority for local governments to grant additional exemptions to seniors.
The changes take effect on January 1, 2027. The amendment requires voter approval at the November 2026 general election.
AIExempts homestead property from all non-school ad valorem taxes, replacing the previous $50,000-$75,000 exemption bracket.
AIProhibits local governments from reducing total funding for law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders below the higher of the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 budgeted amounts.
AIRemoves the requirement to annually adjust the $25,000 homestead exemption and any post-2025 exemptions for inflation using the CPI-U index.
AIRemoves the constitutional authority for counties and municipalities to grant additional homestead exemptions to seniors aged 65+ with income limits.