By Haywood                                            S.B. No. 1244
       74R6368 KLL-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to limiting political contributions for statewide and
    1-3  legislative offices; providing a criminal penalty.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 253, Election Code, is
    1-6  amended by adding Section 253.043 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 253.043.  LIMITATIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS IN CONNECTION
    1-8  WITH STATEWIDE OR LEGISLATIVE OFFICE.  (a)  A person may not
    1-9  knowingly make or authorize political contributions that in the
   1-10  aggregate exceed $5,000 in a calendar year to:
   1-11              (1)  a candidate for or holder of a statewide office or
   1-12  the office of state senator or state representative; or
   1-13              (2)  a specific-purpose committee for supporting or
   1-14  opposing such a candidate or assisting such an officeholder.
   1-15        (b)  A person may not knowingly accept political
   1-16  contributions in violation of Subsection (a).
   1-17        (c)  A person who violates this section commits an offense.
   1-18  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
   1-19        SECTION 2.  A bill enacted by the 74th Legislature that
   1-20  becomes law and that prescribes limits on political contributions
   1-21  accepted by a judicial candidate or officeholder covered by Section
   1-22  253.043, Election Code, as added by this Act, supersedes the limits
   1-23  prescribed by that section for judicial candidates or
   1-24  officeholders.
    2-1        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect January 1, 1996.
    2-2        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-3  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-4  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-5  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-6  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.