By Moreno                                              H.B. No. 550
       74R2372 KLL-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to requiring political advertising on billboards to
    1-3  indicate a candidate's party alignment; providing a criminal
    1-4  penalty.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  Chapter 255, Election Code, is amended by adding
    1-7  Section 255.008 to read as follows:
    1-8        Sec. 255.008.  PARTY ALIGNMENT ON BILLBOARDS.  (a)  Political
    1-9  advertising that appears on a billboard and that supports or
   1-10  opposes a candidate must indicate the political party with which
   1-11  the candidate is aligned.
   1-12        (b)  A person who knowingly enters into a contract or other
   1-13  agreement to print or make political advertising that violates this
   1-14  section commits an offense.  An offense under this section is a
   1-15  Class C misdemeanor.
   1-16        (c)  In this section, "political party" includes only a
   1-17  political party required to hold a primary election under Section
   1-18  172.001.
   1-19        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   1-20        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-21  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-22  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-23  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-24  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.