HBA-MPA, BTC H.B. 310 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 310 By: Madden Elections 2/12/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, there is no statutory provision specifically establishing a penalty for the conduct of a political party's county chair who intentionally fails to conduct an election in a manner dictated by law. H.B. 310 provides a criminal penalty for a county chair who knowingly fails to perform a duty dictated by the Election Code. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 161, Election Code, by adding Section 161.0091, as follows: Sec. 161.0091. COUNTY CHAIR SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PENALTY. Provides that a county chair commits a Class A misdemeanor offense if the person knowingly fails to perform a duty imposed by this code on the county chair. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.