🟡An Act relating to the continuing education required in order for a person to renew the person’s agreement with the comptroller of public accounts to serve as an arbitrator in an appeal through binding arbitration of an appraisal review board order determining a protest
HB 3307
🟡 HB 3307: Property Tax Arbitrator Training Updates
What it says it does:
HB 3307 updates the continuing education requirements for property-tax arbitrators. It allows arbitrators to count continuing legal education hours toward renewal and requires completion of updated training if the Comptroller revises the official program.
What it actually changes:
Attorneys gain a shortcut to meet training requirements, while non-lawyer arbitrators must still seek separate courses. The Comptroller gains sole discretion to determine when training is substantially revised, triggering a 120-day retraining obligation with no external oversight.
Who is pushing for it:
The bill was authored by Rep. Candy Noble and carried in the Senate by Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa. Support in the hearings came from the Comptroller’s Office and the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts, with one individual witness in favor. No opposition was recorded in the files.
Who benefits:
Lawyers who can double-count CLE hours, legal associations and CLE providers whose courses are now officially recognized, and the Comptroller’s office which strengthens its administrative control over arbitrator qualifications.
Who gets left out or exposed:
Non-lawyer arbitrators face higher costs and fewer options. Taxpayers could see a narrower, lawyer-heavy pool of arbitrators, reducing diversity and perspectives in property tax hearings.
Why this matters long term:
The bill sets a precedent for embedding professional-guild requirements into public administration. Over time, it could concentrate arbitrator roles among attorneys, centralize power under the Comptroller, and shift procedural advantages away from community-based or independent arbitrators.
What to watch next:
Monitor how the Comptroller defines “substantially revised” training and enforces the 120-day retraining. Track whether non-lawyer arbitrators can access affordable courses and whether the pool of arbitrators becomes less diverse and more concentrated in legal professionals.
Bottom line:
HB 3307 appears procedural but changes who has power in property-tax arbitration. It advantages lawyers, strengthens Comptroller discretion, and creates ongoing burdens for independent arbitrators, which could reshape the system in subtle ways.
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