SRC-ARR S.B. 1364 76(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1364
By: Harris
State Affairs
4/13/1999
As Filed


DIGEST 

Currently, the Election Code has a separate provision for out-of-state
political committees (PACs) and requires such PACs to report in Texas only
if they make 20 percent or more of their expenditures in Texas. Inflation
and the growing amount of campaign dollars moving into PACs has gradually
made this provision into an area in which there can be a considerable gap
in campaign finance reporting. S.B. 1364 corrects for  inflation by raising
the percent of donations made outside Texas. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1364 redefines out-of-state political committees.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subsection (15), Section 251.001, Election Code, to
redefine "out-of-state political committee" to mean a political committee
that makes 90 percent, rather than 80 percent, or more of the committee's
total political expenditures in any combination of elections outside this
state and federal offices not voted on in this state.  

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.