By Conley                                             H.B. No. 3067
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the implementation of budget sessions of the
    1-3  legislature during even-numbered years and to political
    1-4  contributions made during a legislative session.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  Section 301.001, Government Code, is amended to
    1-7  read as follows:
    1-8        Sec. 301.001.  Time of Meeting.  (a)  In each odd-numbered
    1-9  year, the <The> legislature shall convene in regular session at 12
   1-10  noon on the second Tuesday in January for not more than 140
   1-11  calendar days <of each odd-numbered year>.
   1-12        (b)  In each even-numbered year, the legislature shall
   1-13  convene in budget session at 12 noon on the second Tuesday in
   1-14  January for not more than 30 calendar days.
   1-15        SECTION 2.  Section 317.003(a), Government Code, is amended
   1-16  to read as follows:
   1-17        (a)  The governor or Legislative Budget Board may make a
   1-18  proposal at any time except during a <regular or special> session
   1-19  of the legislature.  A proposal may apply to an appropriation that
   1-20  has been made for any specified fiscal year that has not ended at
   1-21  the time the proposal is made.
   1-22        SECTION 3.  Section 403.121(a), Government Code, is amended
   1-23  to read as follows:
    2-1        (a)  In the statement required by Article III, Section 49a,
    2-2  of the Texas Constitution, the comptroller shall list outstanding
    2-3  appropriations that may exist after the end of the current fiscal
    2-4  year but may not deduct them from the cash condition of the
    2-5  treasury or the anticipated revenues of the next fiscal year or
    2-6  biennium for the purpose of certification.  The comptroller shall
    2-7  base the reports, estimates, and certifications of available funds
    2-8  on the actual or estimated cash condition of the treasury and shall
    2-9  consider outstanding and undisbursed appropriations at the end of
   2-10  each fiscal year or biennium as probable disbursements of the
   2-11  succeeding fiscal year or biennium in the same manner that earned,
   2-12  but uncollected, income of a current fiscal year or biennium is
   2-13  considered in probable receipts of the succeeding fiscal year or
   2-14  biennium.  The comptroller shall consider as probable disbursements
   2-15  warrants that will be issued by the state before the end of the
   2-16  fiscal year.
   2-17        SECTION 4.  Section 253.034(a), Election Code, is amended to
   2-18  read as follows:
   2-19        (a)  During the period beginning on the 31st <30th> day after
   2-20  <before> the date a regular <legislative> session  or budget
   2-21  session of the legislature convenes, and continuing through the day
   2-22  of final adjournment, a person may not knowingly make a political
   2-23  contribution to:
   2-24              (1)  a statewide officeholder;
   2-25              (2)  a member of the legislature; or
    3-1              (3)  a specific-purpose committee for supporting,
    3-2  opposing, or assisting a statewide officeholder or member of the
    3-3  legislature.
    3-4        SECTION 5.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act to
    3-5  Section 253.034, Election Code, applies only to an offense
    3-6  committed on or after the effective date of this Act.  For purposes
    3-7  of this section, an offense is committed before the effective date
    3-8  of this Act if any element of the offense occurs before the
    3-9  effective date.
   3-10        (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
   3-11  Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
   3-12  and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
   3-13        SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect only if the constitutional
   3-14  amendment proposed by H.J.R.  No. 118, 74th Legislature, Regular
   3-15  Session, 1995, is approved by the voters of Texas at the election
   3-16  to be held November 7, 1995.  If that proposed constitutional
   3-17  amendment is not approved by the voters, this Act has no effect.
   3-18        SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the
   3-19  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   3-20  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   3-21  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   3-22  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.