By Danburg                                            H.B. No. 1860
       74R6338 ESH-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to political contributions and expenditures in connection
    1-3  with certain judicial candidates and officeholders and to personal
    1-4  financial disclosure statements filed by certain judicial
    1-5  candidates and officeholders.
    1-6        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-7        SECTION 1.  RESTRICTIONS ON POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND
    1-8  POLITICAL EXPENDITURES TO CERTAIN JUDICIAL CANDIDATES AND
    1-9  OFFICEHOLDERS.  (a)  To increase public confidence in and to
   1-10  improve the functioning of the judiciary and the political process,
   1-11  the legislature may impose restrictions on the making of political
   1-12  contributions to and political expenditures by or on behalf of
   1-13  candidates for and holders of judicial offices.
   1-14        (b)  Restrictions under Subsection (a) of this section may
   1-15  include:
   1-16              (1)  limits on the amount of political contributions an
   1-17  individual or organization, including a committee established by a
   1-18  political party, may make;
   1-19              (2)  restrictions concerning the time in which
   1-20  political contributions may be made;
   1-21              (3)  limits on contributions or expenditures by
   1-22  attorneys, including attorneys who practice before a particular
   1-23  court;
   1-24              (4)  limits on the amount of political contributions
    2-1  that may be accepted or retained by an unopposed judicial
    2-2  candidate; and
    2-3              (5)  limits on the use, in connection with a campaign
    2-4  for a judicial office, of political contributions accepted in
    2-5  connection with a public office other than a judicial office.
    2-6        (c)  Restrictions under Subsection (a) of this section may
    2-7  be:
    2-8              (1)  enforced by criminal penalties;
    2-9              (2)  enforced by civil penalties;
   2-10              (3)  subject to voluntary compliance; or
   2-11              (4)  encouraged by allowing judicial candidates who
   2-12  voluntarily comply with the restrictions to receive public
   2-13  financing.
   2-14        (d)  Judicial candidates and officeholders shall comply with
   2-15  requirements concerning the reporting of political contributions
   2-16  and expenditures that are more detailed than the requirements
   2-17  imposed on candidates and holders of other public offices.
   2-18        SECTION 2.  PERSONAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE BY JUDICIAL
   2-19  CANDIDATES AND OFFICEHOLDERS.   To increase public confidence in
   2-20  and to improve the functioning of the judiciary and the political
   2-21  process:
   2-22              (1)  judicial candidates and officeholders who are now
   2-23  required to file personal financial disclosure statements shall
   2-24  provide additional information or provide information at more
   2-25  frequent intervals; and
   2-26              (2)  judicial candidates and officeholders who are not
   2-27  now required to file personal financial disclosure statements shall
    3-1  file such statements.
    3-2        SECTION 3.  EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICABILITY.  This Act takes
    3-3  effect September 1, 1995, and applies only to a political
    3-4  contribution or political expenditure made on or after that date.
    3-5  A political contribution or political expenditure made before
    3-6  September 1, 1995, is governed by the law in effect on the date the
    3-7  contribution or expenditure was made, and the former law is
    3-8  continued in effect for that purpose.
    3-9        SECTION 4.  EMERGENCY.  The importance of this legislation
   3-10  and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   3-11  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   3-12  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   3-13  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.