Property taxpayers' rights bill approved in the House

A bill to expand property taxpayers' rights, which Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, is pushing as a follow-up to changes he sponsored two years ago, passed in the House by a vote of 162-0 on Tuesday.

Among other things, Senate Bill 234 would forbid counties from selling tax liens to private collections firms if the property value is under appeal. The measure would also create a state panel to handle complaints about local boards that hear residents' tax appeals, with authority to remove assessors or equalization board members. Another section, added by the House Judiciary Committee, would prevent tax commissioners from collecting personal fees from cities for billing their taxes.

The bill now goes back to the Senate.