By West                                                S.B. No. 822
         77R873 ESH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the regulation of political contributions to judicial
 1-3     candidates and officeholders.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 253, Election Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 253.1621 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 253.1621.  APPLICATION OF CONTRIBUTION AND REIMBURSEMENT
 1-8     LIMITS TO CERTAIN CANDIDATES. For purposes of a contribution limit
 1-9     prescribed by Section 253.155, 253.157, or 253.160 and the limit on
1-10     reimbursement of personal funds prescribed by Section 253.162, the
1-11     general primary election and general election for state and county
1-12     officers are considered to be a single election in which a judicial
1-13     candidate is involved if the candidate:
1-14                 (1)  is unopposed in the primary election; or
1-15                 (2)  does not have an opponent in the general election
1-16     whose name is to appear on the ballot.
1-17           SECTION 2.  Section 253.155(a), Election Code, is amended to
1-18     read as follows:
1-19           (a)  Subject to Section 253.1621 [Except as provided by
1-20     Subsection (c)], a judicial candidate or officeholder may not,
1-21     except as provided by Subsection (c), knowingly accept political
1-22     contributions from a person that in the aggregate exceed the limits
1-23     prescribed by Subsection (b) in connection with each election in
1-24     which the person is involved.
 2-1           SECTION 3.  Section 253.157(a), Election Code, is amended to
 2-2     read as follows:
 2-3           (a)  Subject to Section 253.1621, a [A] judicial candidate or
 2-4     officeholder [or a specific-purpose committee for supporting or
 2-5     opposing a judicial candidate] may not accept a political
 2-6     contribution in excess of $50 from a person if:
 2-7                 (1)  the person is a law firm, a member of a law firm,
 2-8     or a general-purpose committee established or controlled by a law
 2-9     firm; and
2-10                 (2)  the contribution when aggregated with all
2-11     political contributions accepted by the candidate or[,]
2-12     officeholder[, or committee] from the law firm, other members of
2-13     the law firm, or a general-purpose committee established or
2-14     controlled by the law firm in connection with the election would
2-15     exceed six times the applicable contribution limit under Section
2-16     253.155.
2-17           SECTION 4.  Section 253.160(a), Election Code, is amended to
2-18     read as follows:
2-19           (a)  Subject to Section 253.1621, a [A] judicial candidate or
2-20     officeholder [or a specific-purpose committee for supporting or
2-21     opposing a judicial candidate or assisting a judicial officeholder]
2-22     may not knowingly accept a political contribution from a
2-23     general-purpose committee that, when aggregated with each other
2-24     political contribution from a general-purpose committee in
2-25     connection with an election, exceeds 15 percent of the applicable
2-26     limit on expenditures prescribed by Section 253.168, regardless of
2-27     whether the limit on expenditures is suspended.
 3-1           SECTION 5. Section 253.162(a), Election Code, is amended to
 3-2     read as follows:
 3-3           (a)  Subject to Section 253.1621, a [A] judicial candidate or
 3-4     officeholder who makes political expenditures from the person's
 3-5     personal funds may not reimburse the personal funds from political
 3-6     contributions in amounts that in the aggregate exceed, for each
 3-7     election in which the person's name appears on the ballot:
 3-8                 (1)  for a statewide judicial office, $100,000; or
 3-9                 (2)  for an office other than a statewide judicial
3-10     office, five times the applicable contribution limit under Section
3-11     253.155.
3-12           SECTION 6. Sections 253.155, 253.157, 253.160, and 253.162,
3-13     Election Code, as amended by this Act, and Section 253.1621,
3-14     Election Code, as added by this Act, apply only to a political
3-15     contribution accepted on or after September 1, 2001.  A political
3-16     contribution accepted before that date is governed by the law in
3-17     effect at the time the contribution was accepted and is not
3-18     aggregated with political contributions accepted on or after that
3-19     date.
3-20           SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.