Amend CSSB 560 by inserting the following new SECTIONS,
appropriately
numbered, and renumbering the subsequent SECTIONS
accordingly:
SECTION ___. The heading to Chapter 305, Government Code,
is amended to
read as follows:
CHAPTER 305. REGISTRATION OF
LOBBYISTS; LEGISLATIVE ADVERTISING
SECTION ___. Section 305.002, Government Code, is amended
by adding
Subdivision (12) to read as follows:
(12) "Legislative advertising" means a communication that
supports, opposes,
or proposes legislation and that:
(A) in return for consideration, is published in a
newspaper, magazine, or
other periodical or is broadcast by radio or television;
or
(B) appears in a pamphlet, circular, flier, billboard or
other sign, bumper
sticker, button, or similar form of written
communication.
SECTION ___. The heading to Subchapter B, Chapter 305,
Government Code,
is amended to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER B. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES;
LEGISLATIVE ADVERTISING
SECTION ___. Subchapter B, Chapter 305, Government Code,
is amended by
adding Section 305.028 to read as follows:
Sec. 305.028. REPORTS CONCERNING LEGISLATIVE ADVERTISING.
(a) In
this section, "contribution" means a direct or indirect
transfer of money,
goods, services, or any other thing of value made with
the intent that it be
used in connection with political activities, including
influencing legislation or
publishing, broadcasting, or distributing legislative
advertising. The term
includes an agreement made or other obligation incurred,
whether legally
enforceable or not, to make a transfer. The term also
includes a loan or
extension of credit and a guarantee of a loan or
extension of credit, other than
a loan made in the due course of business by a
corporation that is legally
engaged in the business of lending money and that has
conducted the
business continuously for more than one year before the
loan is made.
(b) A person who sponsors legislative advertising during
the period beginning
January 1 of an even-numbered year and continuing through
June 30 of that
year shall file with the commission a written report
covering that period not
later than July 15 of that year. A person who sponsors
legislative advertising
during the period beginning July 1 of an even-numbered or
odd-numbered year
and continuing through December 31 of that year shall
file with the
commission a written report covering that period not
later than January 15 of
the following year.
(c) A person who sponsors legislative advertising during
the period beginning
January 1 of an odd-numbered year and continuing through
June 30 of that
year shall file with the commission one or more reports
as provided by this
subsection. For each calendar month during the period
prescribed by this
subsection in which the person sponsors legislative
advertising, the person
shall file a report. Each report filed under this
subsection covers a calendar
month and must be filed not later than the 15th day of
the month following the
month covered by the report. A report filed under this
subsection must be filed
by computer diskette, modem, or other means of electronic
transfer, using
computer software provided by the commission or computer
software that
meets commission specifications for a standard file
format.
(d) For purposes of Subsections (b) and (c), legislative
advertising is
sponsored on the first date in a reporting period that:
(1) the advertisement is published or broadcast, in the
case of legislative
advertising that is published or broadcast; or
(2) the advertisement is distributed, in the case of
legislative advertising that
appears in a pamphlet, circular, flier, billboard or
other sign, bumper sticker,
button, or similar form of written communication.
(c) Each report filed under this section must include:
(1) the name, address, and telephone number of the person
making the
report;
(2) the name, address, and telephone number of the
individual signing the
report and that individual's relationship to the person
making the report;
(3) a complete description of each piece of legislative
advertising sponsored
by the person making the report, including the dates on
which the legislative
advertising was published, broadcast, or distributed;
(4) the amount of expenditures for legislative
advertising that in the aggregate
exceed $100 and that are made during the reporting
period, the full name and
address of the persons to whom the expenditures are made,
and the dates
and purposes of the expenditures;
(5) the total amount or a specific listing of the
expenditures for legislative
advertising of $100 or less made during the reporting
period;
(6) the total amount of all expenditures for legislative
advertising made during
the reporting period;
(7) the amount of contributions from each person that in
the aggregate exceed
$100 and that are accepted during the reporting period by
the person required
to file the report, the full name, full address, and
principal occupation of the
person making the contributions, and the dates of the
contributions;
(8) the amount of contributions from each person that in
the aggregate exceed
$100 and that were accepted during a previous reporting
period for which the
person was not required to file a report, the full name,
full address, and
principal occupation of the person making the
contributions, and the dates of
the contributions;
(9) the total amount or a specific listing of the
contributions of $100 or less
accepted during the reporting period;
(10) the total amount or a specific listing of the
contributions of $100 or less
accepted during a previous reporting period for which the
person was not
required to file a report;
(11) the total amount of all contributions accepted
during the reporting period;
(12) the total amount or a specific listing of the
contributions of $100 or less
accepted during a previous reporting period for which the
person was not
required to file a report; and
(13) the total amount of all contributions accepted
during the reporting period
or during a previous reporting period for which the
person was not required to
file a report.
(d) A report under this section must be signed by an
individual authorized to
file the report on behalf of the person responsible for
making the report.
(e) Each person required to file a report under this
section shall maintain a
record of all reportable activity for at least two years
beginning on the filing
deadline for the report containing the information in the
record.
(f) This section does not apply to an individual who, not
acting in concert with
another person, sponsors legislative advertising.
SECTION ___. Section 305.027(e), Government Code, is
repealed.
SECTION ___. SECTIONS ___-___ of this Act, amending
Subchapter B,
Chapter 305, Government Code, take effect January 1,
2000.
SECTION ___. Section 305.028, Government Code, as added
by this Act,
applies only to:
(1) legislative advertising, as defined by Section
305.002(12), Government
Code, as added by this Act, that is printed, published,
or broadcast on or after
January 1, 2000; and
(2) a contribution received on or after January 1, 2000,
by a person who
sponsors legislative advertising.