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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the availability on the Internet of reports of |
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political contributions or expenditures filed in connection with |
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certain offices. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 254.0401, Election Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (a-1) and (c) and adding Subsections (g), (h), |
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and (i) to read as follows: |
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(a-1) The county clerk of a county [with a population of |
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800,000 or more] shall make a report filed with the clerk by a |
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candidate, officeholder, or specific-purpose committee under this |
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subchapter [in connection with a county office or the office of |
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county commissioner] available to the public on the county's |
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Internet website not later than the fifth business day after the |
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date the report is received. |
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(c) The clerk of a municipality [with a population of |
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500,000 or more] shall make a report filed with the clerk by a |
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candidate, officeholder, or specific-purpose committee under this |
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subchapter [in connection with the office of mayor or member of the |
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municipality's governing body] available to the public on the |
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municipality's Internet website not later than the fifth business |
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day after the date the report is received. |
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(g) The clerk or secretary of the governing body of a |
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political subdivision or, if the political subdivision has no clerk |
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or secretary, the governing body's presiding officer shall make a |
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report filed with the political subdivision by a candidate, |
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officeholder, or specific-purpose committee under this subchapter |
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available to the public on the political subdivision's Internet |
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website not later than the fifth business day after the date the |
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report is received. |
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(h) Before making a report available on the Internet as |
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required by Subsection (a-1), (c), or (g), the authority with whom |
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the report is filed may remove each portion, other than city, state, |
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and zip code, of the address of a person listed as having made a |
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political contribution to the person filing the report. The |
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address information removed must remain available on the report |
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maintained in the authority's office. |
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(i) A report made available on an Internet website under |
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this section must be accessible on that website until the fifth |
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anniversary of the date the report is first made available. |
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SECTION 2. Section 254.04011, Election Code, is repealed. |
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SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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a report of political contributions and expenditures that is |
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required to be filed under Chapter 254, Election Code, on or after |
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the effective date of this Act. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |