By Madden H.B. No. 442
77R2029 PAM-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to limits on certain political contributions and to
1-3 disclosure limits in the reporting of political contributions and
1-4 expenditures.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Section 253.157(a), Election Code, is amended to
1-7 read as follows:
1-8 (a) A judicial candidate or officeholder or a
1-9 specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing a judicial
1-10 candidate may not accept a political contribution in excess of $100
1-11 [$50] from a person if:
1-12 (1) the person is a law firm, a member of a law firm,
1-13 or a general-purpose committee established or controlled by a law
1-14 firm; and
1-15 (2) the contribution when aggregated with all
1-16 political contributions accepted by the candidate, officeholder, or
1-17 committee from the law firm, other members of the law firm, or a
1-18 general-purpose committee established or controlled by the law firm
1-19 in connection with the election would exceed six times the
1-20 applicable contribution limit under Section 253.155.
1-21 SECTION 2. Section 254.031(a), Election Code, is amended to
1-22 read as follows:
1-23 (a) Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, each
1-24 report filed under this chapter must include:
2-1 (1) the amount of political contributions from each
2-2 person that in the aggregate exceed $100 [$50] and that are
2-3 accepted during the reporting period by the person or committee
2-4 required to file a report under this chapter, the full name and
2-5 address of the person making the contributions, and the dates of
2-6 the contributions;
2-7 (2) the amount of loans that are made during the
2-8 reporting period for campaign or officeholder purposes to the
2-9 person or committee required to file the report and that in the
2-10 aggregate exceed $100 [$50], the dates the loans are made, the
2-11 interest rate, the maturity date, the type of collateral for the
2-12 loans, if any, the full name and address of the person or
2-13 financial institution making the loans, the full name and address,
2-14 principal occupation, and name of the employer of each guarantor of
2-15 the loans, the amount of the loans guaranteed by each guarantor,
2-16 and the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding loans as of
2-17 the last day of the reporting period;
2-18 (3) the amount of political expenditures that in the
2-19 aggregate exceed $100 [$50] and that are made during the reporting
2-20 period, the full name and address of the persons to whom the
2-21 expenditures are made, and the dates and purposes of the
2-22 expenditures;
2-23 (4) the amount of each payment made during the
2-24 reporting period from a political contribution if the payment is
2-25 not a political expenditure, the full name and address of the
2-26 person to whom the payment is made, and the date and purpose of the
2-27 payment;
3-1 (5) the total amount or a specific listing of the
3-2 political contributions of $100 [$50] or less accepted and the
3-3 total amount or a specific listing of the political expenditures
3-4 of $100 [$50] or less made during the reporting period;
3-5 (6) the total amount of all political contributions
3-6 accepted and the total amount of all political expenditures made
3-7 during the reporting period; and
3-8 (7) the name of each candidate or officeholder who
3-9 benefits from a direct campaign expenditure made during the
3-10 reporting period by the person or committee required to file the
3-11 report, and the office sought or held, excluding a direct campaign
3-12 expenditure that is made by the principal political committee of a
3-13 political party on behalf of a slate of two or more nominees of
3-14 that party.
3-15 SECTION 3. Section 254.0311(b), Election Code, is amended to
3-16 read as follows:
3-17 (b) A report filed under this section must include:
3-18 (1) the amount of contributions from each person,
3-19 other than a caucus member, that in the aggregate exceed $100 [$50]
3-20 and that are accepted during the reporting period by the
3-21 legislative caucus, the full name and address of the person making
3-22 the contributions, and the dates of the contributions;
3-23 (2) the amount of loans that are made during the
3-24 reporting period to the legislative caucus and that in the
3-25 aggregate exceed $100 [$50], the dates the loans are made, the
3-26 interest rate, the maturity date, the type of collateral for the
3-27 loans, if any, the full name and address of the person or financial
4-1 institution making the loans, the full name and address, principal
4-2 occupation, and name of the employer of each guarantor of the
4-3 loans, the amount of the loans guaranteed by each guarantor, and
4-4 the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding loans as of the
4-5 last day of the reporting period;
4-6 (3) the amount of expenditures that in the aggregate
4-7 exceed $100 [$50] and that are made during the reporting period,
4-8 the full name and address of the persons to whom the expenditures
4-9 are made, and the dates and purposes of the expenditures;
4-10 (4) the total amount or a specific listing of
4-11 contributions of $100 [$50] or less accepted from persons other
4-12 than caucus members and the total amount or a specific listing of
4-13 expenditures of $100 [$50] or less made during the reporting
4-14 period; and
4-15 (5) the total amount of all contributions accepted,
4-16 including total contributions from caucus members, and the total
4-17 amount of all expenditures made during the reporting period.
4-18 SECTION 4. Section 254.0611(a), Election Code, is amended to
4-19 read as follows:
4-20 (a) In addition to the contents required by Sections 254.031
4-21 and 254.061, each report by a candidate for a judicial office
4-22 covered by Subchapter F, Chapter 253, must include:
4-23 (1) the total amount of political contributions,
4-24 including interest or other income, maintained in one or more
4-25 accounts in which political contributions are deposited as of the
4-26 last day of the reporting period;
4-27 (2) for each individual from whom the person filing
5-1 the report has accepted political contributions that in the
5-2 aggregate exceed $100 [$50] and that are accepted during the
5-3 reporting period:
5-4 (A) the principal occupation and job title of
5-5 the individual and the full name of the employer of the individual
5-6 or of the law firm of which the individual or the individual's
5-7 spouse is a member, if any; or
5-8 (B) if the individual is a child, the full name
5-9 of the law firm of which either of the individual's parents is a
5-10 member, if any;
5-11 (3) a specific listing of each asset valued at $500 or
5-12 more that was purchased with political contributions and on hand as
5-13 of the last day of the reporting period;
5-14 (4) for each political contribution accepted by the
5-15 person filing the report but not received as of the last day of the
5-16 reporting period:
5-17 (A) the full name and address of the person
5-18 making the contribution;
5-19 (B) the amount of the contribution; and
5-20 (C) the date of the contribution; and
5-21 (5) for each outstanding loan to the person filing the
5-22 report as of the last day of the reporting period:
5-23 (A) the full name and address of the person or
5-24 financial institution making the loan; and
5-25 (B) the full name and address of each guarantor
5-26 of the loan other than the candidate.
5-27 SECTION 5. Section 254.151, Election Code, is amended to
6-1 read as follows:
6-2 Sec. 254.151. ADDITIONAL CONTENTS OF REPORTS. In addition to
6-3 the contents required by Section 254.031, each report by a campaign
6-4 treasurer of a general-purpose committee must include:
6-5 (1) the committee's full name and address;
6-6 (2) the full name, residence or business street
6-7 address, and telephone number of the committee's campaign
6-8 treasurer;
6-9 (3) the identity and date of the election for which
6-10 the report is filed, if applicable;
6-11 (4) the name of each identified candidate or measure
6-12 or classification by party of candidates supported or opposed by
6-13 the committee, indicating whether the committee supports or opposes
6-14 each listed candidate, measure, or classification by party of
6-15 candidates;
6-16 (5) the name of each identified officeholder or
6-17 classification by party of officeholders assisted by the committee;
6-18 (6) the principal occupation of each person from whom
6-19 political contributions that in the aggregate exceed $100 [$50] are
6-20 accepted during the reporting period;
6-21 (7) the amount of each political expenditure in the
6-22 form of a political contribution made to a candidate, officeholder,
6-23 or another political committee that is returned to the committee
6-24 during the reporting period, the name of the person to whom the
6-25 expenditure was originally made, and the date it is returned; and
6-26 (8) on a separate page or pages of the report, the
6-27 identification of any contribution from a corporation or labor
7-1 organization made and accepted under Subchapter D, Chapter 253.
7-2 SECTION 6. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
7-3 (b) The changes in law made by this Act apply only to a
7-4 political contribution accepted or a political expenditure made on
7-5 or after the effective date of this Act. A political contribution
7-6 accepted or political expenditure made before the effective date of
7-7 this Act is governed by the law in effect when the contribution
7-8 was accepted or expenditure was made, and the former law is
7-9 continued in effect for that purpose.