1-1  By:  Denny, Hamric (Senate Sponsor - Nelson)           H.B. No. 485
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House May 15, 1995;
    1-3  May 16, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on State
    1-4  Affairs; May 25, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
    1-5  Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 25, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to the characterization of expenses incurred in connection
    1-9  with a meeting of an organization or club affiliated with a
   1-10  political party.
   1-11        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-12        SECTION 1.  Section 251.008(a), Election Code, is amended to
   1-13  read as follows:
   1-14        (a)  An expense incurred in connection with the conduct of a
   1-15  meeting of an organization or club affiliated with a political
   1-16  party at which a candidate for an office regularly filled at the
   1-17  general election for state and county officers, or a person holding
   1-18  that office, appears before the members of the organization or club
   1-19  is not considered to be a political contribution or political
   1-20  expenditure if<:>
   1-21              <(1)>  no political contributions are made to or
   1-22  solicited for the candidate or officeholder at the meeting<; and>
   1-23              <(2)  the meeting is held at a time other than during
   1-24  the 20 days preceding the date of a primary election, the general
   1-25  election for state and county officers, or a special election in
   1-26  which the candidate is involved>.
   1-27        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-28        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-29  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-30  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-31  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-32  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
   1-33                               * * * * *