Tex. Tax Code § 26.0442 — TAX RATE ADJUSTMENT FOR COUNTY INDIGENT DEFENSE COMPENSATION EXPENDITURES

(a) In this section, "indigent defense compensation expenditures" for a tax year means the difference between: (1) the amount paid by a county in the period beginning on July 1 of the tax year preceding the tax year for which the tax is adopted and ending on June 30 of the tax year for which the tax is adopted to: (A) provide appointed counsel for indigent individuals in criminal or civil proceedings in accordance with the schedule of fees adopted under Article 26.05 , Code of Criminal Procedure; and (B) fund the operations of a public defender's office under Article 26.044 , Code of Criminal Procedure; and (2) the amount of any state grants received by the county during that period for those purposes. (b) If a county's indigent defense compensation expenditures exceed the amount of those expenditures for the preceding tax year, the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations rate for the county is increased by the lesser of the rates computed according to the following formulas: (Current Tax Year's Indigent Defense Compensation Expenditures - Preceding Tax Year's Indigent Defense Compensation Expenditures) / (Current Total Value - New Property Value) or (Preceding Tax Year's Indigent Defense Compensation Expenditures x 0.05) / (Current Total Value - New Property Value) (c) The county shall include a notice of the increase in the no-new-revenue maintenance and operations rate provided by this section, including a description and the amount of indigent defense compensation expenditures, in the information published under Section 26.04 (e) and, as applicable, in the notice prescribed by Section 26.06 or 26.061 . Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 944 (S.B. 2 ), Sec. 43, eff. January 1, 2020. Amended by: Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 477 (H.B. 295 ), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2021.