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House Bill 3511 |
House Author: Davis, Sarah |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Huffman |
Current law requires the personal financial statement of a state officer, a candidate for an office as an elected officer, and a state party chair filed with the Texas Ethics Commission to include an account of the financial activity of not only the individual required to file such a statement but also the individual's spouse and dependent children, if the individual had actual control over that activity. The bill revises that provision to remove the requirement that the statement include the account of the financial activity of the individual's spouse, to condition the requirement to include an account of the financial activity of the individual's dependent children on the individual exercising or holding the right to exercise any degree of legal or factual control over that activity, and to include in the required statement an account of financial activity regarding certain separate and community property.
In addition, the bill exempts a person who electronically files a verified financial statement with the commission or another filing authority from the requirement to include a notarized affidavit with the statement if the person has requested and received an electronic filing password under the rules of the commission or other authority and uses that password to file the financial statement. An affidavit, with the language specified by the bill, must accompany a statement that is not filed electronically. Among other provisions, the bill establishes that a statement is considered to be under oath by the person required to file the financial statement and subjects the person to Penal Code provisions governing perjury and other falsification, regardless of the absence of or a defect in the affidavit.
Reason Given for Veto: "Texans deserve accountability and transparency from their public officials. House Bil1 3511 weakens the ethics laws governing officeholder financial disclosures. I cannot allow that."