By Madden                                       H.B. No. 2975

      75R1845 ESH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to reporting of political contributions and expenditures

 1-3     by certain general-purpose political committees.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 254, Election Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 254.1511 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 254.1511.  CONTENTS OF REPORTS OF FEDERALLY REGISTERED

 1-8     COMMITTEE.  (a)  This section applies only to a general-purpose

 1-9     committee that is registered under 2 U.S.C. Chapter 14, Subchapter

1-10     I.

1-11           (b)  Each report by the campaign treasurer of a

1-12     general-purpose committee to which this section applies must

1-13     include the contents required by Sections 254.031 and 254.151,

1-14     except as provided by this section.

1-15           (c)  Sections 254.031(a)(1)-(3) and (5) do not apply to the

1-16     committee.

1-17           (d)  The committee's report must include:

1-18                 (1)  for each political contribution accepted during

1-19     the reporting period by the committee that, when aggregated with

1-20     each other political contribution accepted by the committee during

1-21     the calendar year from the person making the contribution, exceeds

1-22     $200:

1-23                       (A)  the amount of the contribution;

1-24                       (B)  the full name and address and principal

 2-1     occupation of the person making the contribution; and

 2-2                       (C)  the date of the contribution;

 2-3                 (2)  for each loan made during the reporting period to

 2-4     the committee for campaign purposes that, when aggregated with each

 2-5     other loan made to the committee during the calendar year by the

 2-6     person making the loan, exceeds $200:

 2-7                       (A)  the amount of the loan;

 2-8                       (B)  the full name and address of the person or

 2-9     financial institution making the loan;

2-10                       (C)  the date of the loan;

2-11                       (D)  the interest rate;

2-12                       (E)  the maturity date;

2-13                       (F)  the type of collateral for the loan, if any;

2-14                       (G)  the full name and address, principal

2-15     occupation, and name of the employer of each guarantor of the loan;

2-16     and

2-17                       (H)  the amount of the loan guaranteed by each

2-18     guarantor;

2-19                 (3)  for each political expenditure made during the

2-20     reporting period by the committee that, when aggregated with each

2-21     other political expenditure made by the committee during the

2-22     calendar year to the person, exceeds $200:

2-23                       (A)  the amount of the expenditure;

2-24                       (B)  the full name and address of the person to

2-25     whom the expenditure is made; and

2-26                       (C)  the date of the expenditure;

2-27                 (4)  the total amount or a specific listing of the

 3-1     political contributions of $200 or less accepted and the total

 3-2     amount of political expenditures of $200 or less made during the

 3-3     reporting period; and

 3-4                 (5)  the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding

 3-5     loans as of the last day of the reporting period.

 3-6           (e)  The committee's report need not include the amount of a

 3-7     payment that is reported as a contribution under 2 U.S.C. Chapter

 3-8     14, Subchapter I.

 3-9           (f)  Section 254.156 does not apply to a committee to which

3-10     this section applies.

3-11           (g)  Notwithstanding Section 571.065, Government Code, a

3-12     committee to which this section applies may report the information

3-13     required by Subsection (d) on a form adopted or accepted by the

3-14     Federal Elections Commission.

3-15           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

3-16           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-17     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-18     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-19     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-20     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.