SRC-LBB H.B. 1602 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.B. 1602
78R6186 ATP-DBy: Madden (Ellis, Rodney)
State Affairs
5/21/2003
Engrossed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, the Texas Ethics Commission is prohibited from posting
any candidate's or specific-purpose committee' s campaign contribution and
expenditure report on the Internet until the reports of all candidates or
specific purpose committees associated with a particular ballot decision
have been received.  If one candidate is delinquent in turning in a
particular  report, none of the reports for that office are posted on the
web.  This may reduce public access to and timely disclosure of campaign
finance information.  H.B. 1602 authorizes the Texas Ethics Commission to
post reports on the web once that agency has received reports by
candidates or specific-purpose committees of the two major parties. 

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 254.0401, Election Code, by amending Subsection
(b) and adding Subsection (f), as follows: 

(b)  Requires the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) to make, rather than
prohibits TEC from making, a report filed with TEC under Section
254.036(b) for a reporting deadline by any candidate for a particular
office or by a specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing only
one candidate for a particular office available to the public on the
Internet if, rather than until, each candidate for that office that is
nominated by or seeking the nomination of a political party required to
nominate candidates by primary election, and each specific-purpose
committee for supporting or opposing only one candidate for that office
that is nominated by or seeking the nomination of a political party
required to nominate candidates by primary election, other than a
candidate or committee to which Section 254.036(c) or (d) applies, has
filed a report for that reporting deadline.  Requires TEC, regardless of
whether each candidate for a particular office that is nominated by or
seeking the nomination of a political party required to nominate
candidates by primary election, and each specific-purpose committee for
supporting or opposing only one candidate for that office that is
nominated by or seeking the nomination of a political party required to
nominate candidates by primary election, has filed a report for a filing
deadline, to make each report in connection with that office available on
the Internet and by any other electronic means on a certain date. 
  
(f)  Requires TEC to clearly state on the Internet website on which
reports are provided under Subsection (b) that reports filed by an
independent candidate, a third-party candidate, or a specific-purpose
committee for supporting or opposing an independent or third-party
candidate will not be available if the candidate or committee has not yet
filed a report. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 2003.

SECTION 3.  Provides that the change in law made by this Act to Section
254.0401, Election Code, applies only to the posting of a report of
political contributions and expenditures that is  required to be filed
with TEC on or after January 1, 2004.