Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 2611 amends the Election Code to establish procedures for the electronic reporting of political contributions and expenditures by officeholders, candidates, and political committees. The act requires that each report required to be filed with the Texas Ethics Commission be filed by computer diskette, modem, or other means of electronic transfer using computer software provided or approved by the commission. It allows exceptions to the electronic reporting requirement for: (1) candidates, officeholders, and political committees who do not use computer equipment to solicit, acknowledge, or keep records of contributions or expenditures; (2) candidates, officeholders, and political committees, other than those relating to statewide offices, who do not accept contributions or make expenditures that in the aggregate exceed $20,000 in a calendar year; (3) candidates and certain specific-purpose committees in a political subdivision, situated in more than one county, for which the governing body has not been formed; (4) individuals whose direct campaign expenditures from their own property exceed $100 and who report as if they are treasurers of political committees; and (5) persons required to file in connection with the office of district judge, district attorney, or judge of a multicounty statutory county court.

House Bill 2611 establishes requirements for electronic filing software, provides for use of publicly accessible computer terminals for preparation of reports, and sets deadlines for the commission to post reports on the Internet. The act further requires the commission to make electronic reports accessible to the public by providing computer terminals in the commission's office, by preparing computer diskettes of the information for purchase, and by providing modem or other electronic access to the information. House Bill 2611 provides that a person who knowingly fails to file electronically if so required commits an offense.