HBA-RBT H.B. 1958 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1958 By: Danburg Elections 3/15/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the Election Code does not require candidates, officeholders or political committees to list the aggregate amounts of money they receive from individual contributors. H.B. 1958 requires candidates, officeholders, and political committees that receive political contributions from another political committee to report each individual who has contributed to the political committee an amount of money, that in the aggregate, exceeds $5,000 in a 12-month period or that exceeds 5 percent of the total amount of political contributions accepted by the committee that month 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 Subchapter C, Chapter 254, Election Code, by adding Section 254.0612, as follows: Sec. 254.0612. ADDITIONAL CONTENTS OF REPORTS BY CANDIDATES FILING WITH COMMISSION. (a) Provides that each report by a candidate who is required to file reports with the Texas Ethics Commission (commission) must include, for each political committee from which the candidate accepts a political contribution and receives notice under Section 254.1281 or 254.1611, the full name, address, principal occupation, and employer of each person who, since the January 1 preceding the most recent general election for state and county officers, has made political contributions to that committee that in the aggregate exceed $5,000 in any 12-month period or political contributions to that committee in a month that in the aggregate exceed five percent of the total amount of political contributions accepted by the committee during that month. (b) Provides that if a person making political contributions described by Subsection (a) is a political committee, then the candidate's report must include, if applicable, the information required by Subsection (a) as to political contributions to that committee. (c) Requires the candidate to indicate in the report if the notice received under Section 254.1281 or 254.1611 indicates that no person has made political contributions described by Subsection (a) to the political committee since the January 1 preceding the most recent general election for state and county officers. SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 254, Election Code, by adding Section 254.0912, as follows: Sec. 254.0912. ADDITIONAL CONTENTS OF REPORTS BY OFFICEHOLDERS FILING WITH COMMISSION. Provides that each report filed by an officeholder who is required to file reports with the commission must include, for each political committee from which the officeholder accepts a political contribution and receives notice under Section 254.1281 or 254.1611, the full name, address, principal occupation, and employer of each person who, since the January 1 preceding the most recent general election for state and county officers, has made political contributions to that committee that in the aggregate exceed $5,000 in any 12-month period or political contributions to that committee in a month that in the aggregate exceed five percent of the total amount of political contributions accepted by the committee during that month. (b) Provides that if a person making political contributions described by Subsection (a) is a political committee, then the candidate's report must include, if applicable, the information required by Subsection (a) as to political contributions to that committee. (c) Requires the officeholder to indicate in the report if the notice received under Section 254.1281 or 254.1611 indicates that no person has made political contributions described by Subsection (a) to the political committee since the January 1 preceding the most recent general election for state and county officers. SECTION 3. Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 254, Election Code, by adding Section 254.1281, as follows: Section 254.1281. NOTICE TO CERTAIN CANDIDATES AND OFFICEHOLDERS OF CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) Requires the committee campaign treasurer of a specific-purpose committee which makes a political contribution to a candidate or officeholder who is required to file reports with the commission to deliver written notice to the affected candidate or officeholder that includes the full name, address, principal occupation, and employer of each person who, since the January 1 preceding the most recent general election for state and county officers, has made political contributions to that committee that in the aggregate exceed $5,000 in any 12-month period or political contributions to that committee in a month that in the aggregate exceed five percent of the total amount of political contributions accepted by the committee during that month. (b) Provides that notice must be delivered with the political contribution. (c) Requires the campaign treasurer to indicate in the notice if no person has made political contributions described by Subsection (a) to the political committee since the January 1 preceding the most recent general election for state and county officers. (d) Provides that the notice must include the full name and address of the political committee and its campaign treasurer and an indication that the committee is a specificpurpose committee. (e) Provides that a campaign treasurer commits a Class A misdemeanor if the campaign treasurer fails to comply with this section. SECTION 4. Amends Subchapter F, Chapter 254, Election Code, by adding Section 254.1611, as follows: Sec. 254.1611. NOTICE TO CERTAIN CANDIDATES AND OFFICEHOLDERS OF CONTRIBUTIONS. Requires the campaign treasurer of a general-purpose committee other than the principal political committee of a political party or a political committee established by a political party's county executive committee to deliver written notice to the affected candidate or officeholder as provided by Section 254.1281 for a specific-purpose committee, if the committee makes a political contribution to a candidate or officeholder who is required to file reports with the commission. SECTION 5. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 6. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 7. Emergency clause.