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.