By Wentworth S.B. No. 1804
75R1581 DAK-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the contents of reports of political contributions.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 254.031(a), Election Code, is amended to
1-5 read as follows:
1-6 (a) Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, each
1-7 report filed under this chapter must include:
1-8 (1) the amount of political contributions from each
1-9 person [that in the aggregate exceed $50 and] that are accepted
1-10 during the reporting period by the person or committee required to
1-11 file a report under this chapter, the full name and address of the
1-12 person making the contributions, and the dates of the
1-13 contributions;
1-14 (2) the amount of loans that are made during the
1-15 reporting period for campaign or officeholder purposes to the
1-16 person or committee required to file the report and that in the
1-17 aggregate exceed $50, the dates the loans are made, the interest
1-18 rate, the maturity date, the type of collateral for the loans, if
1-19 any, the full name and address of the person or financial
1-20 institution making the loans, the full name and address, principal
1-21 occupation, and name of the employer of each guarantor of the
1-22 loans, the amount of the loans guaranteed by each guarantor, and
1-23 the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding loans as of the
1-24 last day of the reporting period;
2-1 (3) the amount of political expenditures that in the
2-2 aggregate exceed $50 and that are made during the reporting period,
2-3 the full name and address of the persons to whom the expenditures
2-4 are made, and the dates and purposes of the expenditures;
2-5 (4) the amount of each payment made during the
2-6 reporting period from a political contribution if the payment is
2-7 not a political expenditure, the full name and address of the
2-8 person to whom the payment is made, and the date and purpose of the
2-9 payment;
2-10 (5) [the total amount or a specific listing of the
2-11 political contributions of $50 or less accepted and] the total
2-12 amount or a specific listing of the political expenditures of $50
2-13 or less made during the reporting period;
2-14 (6) the total amount of all political contributions
2-15 accepted and the total amount of all political expenditures made
2-16 during the reporting period; and
2-17 (7) the name of each candidate or officeholder who
2-18 benefits from a direct campaign expenditure made during the
2-19 reporting period by the person or committee required to file the
2-20 report, and the office sought or held, excluding a direct campaign
2-21 expenditure that is made by the principal political committee of a
2-22 political party on behalf of a slate of two or more nominees of
2-23 that party.
2-24 SECTION 2. Sec. 254.0311(b), Election Code, is amended to
2-25 read as follows:
2-26 (b) A report filed under this section must include:
2-27 (1) the amount of contributions from each person,
3-1 other than a caucus member, [that in the aggregate exceed $50 and]
3-2 that are accepted during the reporting period by the legislative
3-3 caucus, the full name and address of the person making the
3-4 contributions, and the dates of the contributions;
3-5 (2) the amount of loans that are made during the
3-6 reporting period to the legislative caucus and that in the
3-7 aggregate exceed $50, the dates the loans are made, the interest
3-8 rate, the maturity date, the type of collateral for the loans, if
3-9 any, the full name and address of the person or financial
3-10 institution making the loans, the full name and address, principal
3-11 occupation, and name of the employer of each guarantor of the
3-12 loans, the amount of the loans guaranteed by each guarantor, and
3-13 the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding loans as of the
3-14 last day of the reporting period;
3-15 (3) the amount of expenditures that in the aggregate
3-16 exceed $50 and that are made during the reporting period, the full
3-17 name and address of the persons to whom the expenditures are made,
3-18 and the dates and purposes of the expenditures;
3-19 (4) [the total amount or a specific listing of
3-20 contributions of $50 or less accepted from persons other than
3-21 caucus members and] the total amount or a specific listing of
3-22 expenditures of $50 or less made during the reporting period; and
3-23 (5) the total amount of all contributions accepted,
3-24 including total contributions from caucus members, and the total
3-25 amount of all expenditures made during the reporting period.
3-26 SECTION 3. Section 254.0611(a), Election Code, is amended to
3-27 read as follows:
4-1 (a) In addition to the contents required by Sections 254.031
4-2 and 254.061, each report by a candidate for a judicial office
4-3 covered by Subchapter F, Chapter 253, must include:
4-4 (1) the total amount of political contributions,
4-5 including interest or other income, maintained in one or more
4-6 accounts in which political contributions are deposited as of the
4-7 last day of the reporting period;
4-8 (2) for each individual from whom the person filing
4-9 the report has accepted political contributions [that in the
4-10 aggregate exceed $50 and that are accepted] during the reporting
4-11 period:
4-12 (A) the principal occupation and job title of
4-13 the individual and the full name of the employer of the individual
4-14 or of the law firm of which the individual or the individual's
4-15 spouse is a member, if any; or
4-16 (B) if the individual is a child, the full name
4-17 of the law firm of which either of the individual's parents is a
4-18 member, if any;
4-19 (3) a specific listing of each asset valued at $500 or
4-20 more that was purchased with political contributions and on hand as
4-21 of the last day of the reporting period;
4-22 (4) for each political contribution accepted by the
4-23 person filing the report but not received as of the last day of the
4-24 reporting period:
4-25 (A) the full name and address of the person
4-26 making the contribution;
4-27 (B) the amount of the contribution; and
5-1 (C) the date of the contribution; and
5-2 (5) for each outstanding loan to the person filing the
5-3 report as of the last day of the reporting period:
5-4 (A) the full name and address of the person or
5-5 financial institution making the loan; and
5-6 (B) the full name and address of each guarantor
5-7 of the loan other than the candidate.
5-8 SECTION 4. Section 254.151, Election Code, is amended to
5-9 read as follows:
5-10 Sec. 254.151. ADDITIONAL CONTENTS OF REPORTS. In addition
5-11 to the contents required by Section 254.031, each report by a
5-12 campaign treasurer of a general-purpose committee must include:
5-13 (1) the committee's full name and address;
5-14 (2) the full name, residence or business street
5-15 address, and telephone number of the committee's campaign
5-16 treasurer;
5-17 (3) the identity and date of the election for which
5-18 the report is filed, if applicable;
5-19 (4) the name of each identified candidate or measure
5-20 or classification by party of candidates supported or opposed by
5-21 the committee, indicating whether the committee supports or opposes
5-22 each listed candidate, measure, or classification by party of
5-23 candidates;
5-24 (5) the name of each identified officeholder or
5-25 classification by party of officeholders assisted by the committee;
5-26 (6) the principal occupation of each person from whom
5-27 political contributions [that in the aggregate exceed $50] are
6-1 accepted during the reporting period;
6-2 (7) the amount of each political expenditure in the
6-3 form of a political contribution made to a candidate, officeholder,
6-4 or another political committee that is returned to the committee
6-5 during the reporting period, the name of the person to whom the
6-6 expenditure was originally made, and the date it is returned; and
6-7 (8) on a separate page or pages of the report, the
6-8 identification of any contribution from a corporation or labor
6-9 organization made and accepted under Subchapter D, Chapter 253.
6-10 SECTION 5. This Act takes effect January 1, 1998, and
6-11 applies only to a report for a reporting period that begins on or
6-12 after that date. A report for a reporting period that begins
6-13 before that date is governed by the law applicable to the report
6-14 immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is
6-15 continued in effect for that purpose.
6-16 SECTION 6. The importance of this legislation and the
6-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.