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House Bill 1800 |
House Author: Denny et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-05 |
Senate Sponsor: Harris |
House Bill 1800 amends Government Code provisions relating to corrected reports, registrations, and statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission. The bill exempts a registered lobbyist from a civil penalty for the late filing of a registration or report other than an activities report if the registrant files a corrected or amended registration or report within 14 business days after the date the registrant becomes aware of the error or omission in the original report. The bill adds to the conditions under which a statement, registration, or report is exempt from late filing penalties the condition that the error or omission was made in good faith. In addition, the bill requires the commission to determine whether certain reports filed near elections substantially comply with state ethics laws. For other types of reports, the bill establishes that a report does not comply with the requirements for timely filing if it contains an error or omission other than one of the following: an obvious typographical error; the omission of administrative information; inaccurately reported or unreported contributions or expenditures that, taken together, total less than certain limits; an incorrectly reported total amount that is within certain limits; or an error or omission determined by the commission to be minor.