1-1     By:  Ellis                                            S.B. No. 1333

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1997; March 18, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;

 1-4     April 11, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 13,

 1-5     Nays 0; April 11, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to reporting of representation before state agencies by

 1-9     state officers and employees.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subsections (b) and (c), Section 2004.004,

1-12     Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

1-13           (b)  The agency shall file the report with the Texas Ethics

1-14     Commission [secretary of state] not later than the 10th day of the

1-15     month after the end of the calendar quarter for which the report

1-16     was prepared.

1-17           (c)  The Texas Ethics Commission [secretary of state] shall

1-18     index each report and keep the report on file for four years after

1-19     the date the report is filed.

1-20           SECTION 2.  Subsection (b), Section 571.030, Government Code,

1-21     is amended to read as follows:

1-22           (b)  Money in the fund may be appropriated only to the

1-23     commission to administer and enforce:

1-24                 (1)  this chapter;

1-25                 (2)  Chapters 302, 305, [and] 572, and 2004; and

1-26                 (3)  Title 15, Election Code.

1-27           SECTION 3.  Subsection (a), Section 571.061, Government Code,

1-28     is amended to read as follows:

1-29           (a)  The commission shall administer and enforce:

1-30                 (1)  Chapters 302, 305, [and] 572, and 2004; and

1-31                 (2)  Title 15, Election Code.

1-32           SECTION 4.  Subsection (a), Section 571.091, Government Code,

1-33     is amended to read as follows:

1-34           (a)  The commission shall prepare a written opinion answering

1-35     the request of a person subject to any of the following laws for an

1-36     opinion about the application of any of these laws to the person in

1-37     regard to a specified existing or hypothetical factual situation:

1-38                 (1)  Chapter 302;

1-39                 (2)  Chapter 305;

1-40                 (3)  Chapter 572;

1-41                 (4)  Chapter 2004;

1-42                 (5)  Title 15, Election Code;

1-43                 (6) [(5)]  Chapter 36, Penal Code; or

1-44                 (7) [(6)]  Chapter 39, Penal Code.

1-45           SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-46           SECTION 6.  Not later than September 15, 1997, the secretary

1-47     of state shall transfer to the Texas Ethics Commission all reports

1-48     filed with the secretary of state under Chapter 2004, Government

1-49     Code, that the secretary of state is required to maintain under

1-50     Subsection (c), Section 2004.004, Government Code, as that section

1-51     existed before amendment by this Act.

1-52           SECTION 7.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-53     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-54     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-55     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-56     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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