C.S.H.B. 1767 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.H.B. 1767
By: Ellis
County Affairs
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, incumbent county commissioners who are not reelected in
counties with a population of less than 50,000 are required to have their
post-election purchases authorized by the county commissioners court.
This law was established to prevent "lame duck" commissioners from
spending excessively after not being reelected.  CSHB 1767 will remove the
population cap, extend expenditure restrictions to precinct officers, and
extend the time period that the commissioners court must approve
expenditures to the date that primary election results are returned.   


RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 

ANALYSIS

CSHB 1767 will extend the law to precinct officers and remove the
population cap that stands in existing language and in HB 1767.  CSHB will
also extend the time period that the commissioners court is required to
approve any expenditure from an outgoing commissioner or precinct officer.
The commissioners court must now approve expenditures following the date
the results of the primary are returned in the case that an incumbent
county commissioner or precinct officer is not renominated.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2003.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

CSHB 1767 includes precinct officers with county commissioners in the
elected officials who must have their expenditures approved.   

CSHB 1767 extends the time period of expenditure approval to the date
primary results are returned for incumbent precinct officers and county
commissioners who were not re-nominated or reelected.  
CSHB 1767 does away with the population cap that covers counties with a
population of less than 100,000 people so that the bill will apply to all
counties throughout the state.