Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) provides expert policy analysis to Texas School Coalition. The following details about the implementation of new bond databases are provided courtesy of TASBO.
The legislature passed three bills establishing bond and tax rate databases: House Bill 103, House Bill 3526, and Senate Bill 843. To date, implementation guidance is only available for HB 103 and HB 3526.
House Bill 103 Guidance
HB 103 requires the Comptroller to consult and coordinate with the Bond Review Board to create and maintain a database of current and historical data on taxes, bonds, and bond-related information that each Texas taxing unit issues.
By January 1, 2026, taxing units, including school districts, must report historical information for each proposed or issued bond. According to the correspondence, historical information includes data currently active or approved within the past 10 years (covering tax years 2015 through 2025), as specified in HB 103.
The following information will be required:
- For each bond proposed or issued by a taxing unit:
- The projected interest and sinking fund (I&S) tax rate or projected tax rate for debt service.
- The result of any election held for the purpose of approving the issuance of bonds.
- A list of projects to be funded using the bond.
- An accounting of the use of the proceeds of any issued bond, along with a description of the project paid for with the bond.
- A description of any increase in the I&S tax rate or any related debt service tax increase for this bond.
- An estimate of the minimum dollar amount required to be spent on debt service annually from this bond.
- For maintenance taxes levied or proposed by a school district:
- The school district’s proposed or approved tax rate.
- The ballot proposition language under Education Code Section 45.003(d).
- The ballot proposition language and result of any tax rate election including:
- The taxing unit’s adopted tax rate.
- The taxing unit’s voter-approval tax rate.
- The difference between the adopted tax rate and the voter-approval tax rate.
- The taxing unit’s tax rate for the preceding tax year.
- The number of votes cast in the election in favor of and against the proposition.
- The taxing unit’s tax rate for the tax year, if the proposition is not approved by the voters.
- The date of each bond election and the debt type.
All new bonds must be reported by August 7 in each subsequent election year.
The correspondence states that "a link to the online reporting form, along with your Texas Taxpayer ID and local government assistance access code, will be sent to you in a separate email before the reporting period begins Dec. 1, 2025."
If you have specific questions about the requirements of HB 103 or the reporting process, contact your bond counsel or the Comptroller's Transparency Team.
House Bill 3526 Guidance
The Bond Review Board (BRB) has posted on its website guidelines and forms for submitting information required by House Bill 3526. HB 3526 requires the BRB to establish a searchable database of information related to bonds and bond elections.
The forms consist of a Pre-Election Report, a Post-Election Report, and an Authorized but Unissued Report. The BRB has also included templates with mock data on the website. The Guidance Document (linked on the website and attached to the Letter to Submitters addressed to All Bond Counsel) cites the following deadlines:
- Unissued Bonds Report: September 30, 2025
- Pre-Election Report: October 15, 2025
- Post-Election Report: November 24, 2025
You may want to contact bond counsel or your financial advisor for assistance in providing the required information.
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