SRC-JEC S.B. 1199 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1199
77R8271 GGS-DBy: Barrientos
Jurisprudence
3/22/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, a prospective primary election candidate for certain judicial
offices in a county of less than 850,000 residents is only required to fill
out an application and pay a filing fee by a certain deadline. Candidates
who are not seriously intending to seek the office can easily get on the
ballot and cause extra expenditures by serious candidates.  In more
populated counties, a candidate is additionally required to submit a
petition signed by at least 250 supporters of the candidacy.  As proposed,
S.B. 1199 reduces the population of a county which requires the petition
from 850,000 to 725,000. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

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

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 172.021(e), Election Code, to require a
candidate for an office specified by Section 172.024(a)(8), (10), or (12),
or for justice of the peace in a county with a population of more than
725,000, rather than 850,000, who chooses to pay the filing fee to also
accompany the application with a petition that complies with the
requirements prescribed for the petition authorized by this section, except
that the minimum number of signatures that must appear on the petition
required by this subsection is 250. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 172.024(a), Election Code, to provide that the
filing fee for a candidate for nomination in the general primary election
for chief justice or justice of a court of appeals that serves a court of
appeals district in which a county with a population of more than 725,000,
rather than 850,000, is wholly or partly situated is $2,000.  Makes
conforming changes. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 2001.