By Madden                                              H.B. No. 403
         76R2350 PAM-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the making and acceptance of political contributions
 1-3     immediately before a regular legislative session convenes.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 253.034(a), Election Code, is amended to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  Except as otherwise provided by Section 253.0342, during
 1-8     [During] the period beginning on the 30th day before the date a
 1-9     regular legislative session convenes and continuing through the day
1-10     of final adjournment, a person may not knowingly make a political
1-11     contribution to:
1-12                 (1)  a statewide officeholder;
1-13                 (2)  a member of the legislature; or
1-14                 (3)  a specific-purpose committee for supporting,
1-15     opposing, or assisting a statewide officeholder or member of the
1-16     legislature.
1-17           SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 253, Election Code, is
1-18     amended by adding Section 253.0342 to read as follows:
1-19           Sec. 253.0342.  EXCEPTION TO RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS
1-20     IMMEDIATELY BEFORE REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION.  (a)  The period
1-21     prescribed by Section 253.034 does not begin until noon on the day
1-22     before the date a regular legislative session convenes if:
1-23                 (1)  the political contribution is made to or accepted
1-24     by:
 2-1                       (A)  a statewide officeholder or member of the
 2-2     legislature who did not hold that office at the time of the
 2-3     person's election; or
 2-4                       (B)  a specific-purpose committee for supporting,
 2-5     opposing, or assisting a person described by Paragraph (A); and
 2-6                 (2)  the person covered by Subdivision (1) has a
 2-7     campaign debt on the 30th day before the date the session convenes
 2-8     and the person has insufficient political contributions consisting
 2-9     of cash or a negotiable instrument to retire the campaign debt.
2-10           (b)  Political contributions may be accepted under this
2-11     section in an amount necessary to retire the debt and leave the
2-12     person with a balance of not more than $2,500 in political
2-13     contributions.
2-14           (c)  In this section, "negotiable instrument" has the meaning
2-15     assigned  by Section 3.104, Business & Commerce Code.
2-16           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-17           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.