By Yarbrough H.B. No. 1417
75R6306 CAG-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to restrictions on contributions or expenditures by
1-3 political action committees.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 253.037, Election Code, is amended to
1-6 read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 253.037. RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRIBUTION OR EXPENDITURE BY
1-8 GENERAL-PURPOSE OR SPECIFIC-PURPOSE COMMITTEE. (a) A
1-9 general-purpose committee may not knowingly make or authorize a
1-10 political contribution or political expenditure unless the
1-11 committee has:
1-12 (1) filed its campaign treasurer appointment not later
1-13 than the 180th day [60th day] before the date the contribution or
1-14 expenditure is made; and
1-15 (2) accepted political contributions from at least 10
1-16 persons.
1-17 (b) A specific-purpose committee may not knowingly make or
1-18 authorize a political contribution or political expenditure unless
1-19 the committee has filed its campaign treasurer appointment not
1-20 later than the 180th day before the date the contribution or
1-21 expenditure is made.
1-22 (c) A general-purpose committee may not knowingly make a
1-23 political contribution to another general-purpose committee unless
1-24 the other committee is listed in the campaign treasurer appointment
2-1 of the contributor committee.
2-2 (d) [(c)] Subsection (a) does not apply to a political
2-3 party's county executive committee that is complying with Section
2-4 253.031 or to a general-purpose committee that accepts
2-5 contributions from a multicandidate political committee (as defined
2-6 by the Federal Election Campaign Act) that is registered with the
2-7 Federal Election Commission, provided that the general-purpose
2-8 committee is in compliance with Section 253.032.
2-9 (e) [(d)] A person who violates this section commits an
2-10 offense. An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
2-11 SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
2-12 to a political contribution or expenditure by a general-purpose or
2-13 specific-purpose committee made on or after January 1, 1998. A
2-14 contribution or expenditure made before that date is governed by
2-15 the law as it existed immediately before the effective date of this
2-16 Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
2-17 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-18 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-19 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-20 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-21 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.