By Denny                                               H.B. No. 754

         75R3934 ESH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the making and reporting of certain political

 1-3     contributions and expenditures.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 253.001, Election Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 253.001.  CONTRIBUTION OR [AND] EXPENDITURE IN ANOTHER'S

 1-8     NAME PROHIBITED.  (a)  A person may not knowingly make or authorize

 1-9     a political contribution [or political expenditure] in the name of

1-10     or on behalf of another unless the person discloses in writing to

1-11     the recipient the [other's] name and address of the person actually

1-12     making the contribution in order for the recipient to make the

1-13     proper disclosure [to be made].

1-14           (b)  A person may not knowingly make or authorize a political

1-15     expenditure in the name of or on behalf of another unless the

1-16     person discloses in writing to the person on whose behalf the

1-17     expenditure is made the name and address of the person actually

1-18     making the expenditure in order for the person on whose behalf the

1-19     expenditure is made to make the proper disclosure.

1-20           (c)  A person who violates this section commits an offense.

1-21     An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

1-22           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-23           SECTION 3.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

1-24     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this

 2-1     Act.  For the purposes of this section, an offense is committed

 2-2     before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense

 2-3     occurs before the effective date.

 2-4           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this

 2-5     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,

 2-6     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

 2-7           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.