By:  Madden, et al.                                               H.B. No. 999



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to electronic reporting of political contributions and 
expenditures.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 254.036(c), Election Code, is amended to 
read as follows:
	(c)  A candidate, officeholder, or political committee that 
is required to file reports with the commission may file reports 
that comply with Subsection (a) if the candidate, officeholder, or 
campaign treasurer of the committee files with the commission an 
affidavit stating that the candidate, officeholder, or committee, 
an agent of the candidate, officeholder, or committee, or a person 
with whom the candidate, officeholder, or committee contracts does 
not use computer equipment to keep the current records of political 
contributions, political expenditures, or persons making political 
contributions to the candidate, officeholder, or committee.  An 
affidavit under this subsection must be filed with each report 
filed under Subsection (a).  The affidavit must include a statement 
that the candidate, officeholder, or political committee 
understands that if the candidate, officeholder, or committee, a 
consultant of the candidate, officeholder, or committee, or a 
person with whom the candidate, officeholder, or committee 
contracts uses computer equipment for a purpose described by this 
subsection, the candidate, officeholder, or committee is required 
to file reports under Subsection (b).  The commission shall convert 
to an electronic format any report filed with the commission under 
this chapter that is not required to be filed electronically under 
this subsection.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
section or Section 251.003, a report filed under this chapter with 
the commission that is not required to be filed electronically 
under this subsection must be accompanied by an amount determined 
by the commission as sufficient to generate additional revenue 
necessary to implement this subsection.
	SECTION 2.  Section 254.0401(b), Election Code, is amended 
to read as follows:
	(b)  Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the 
commission may not make a report filed with the commission 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 until each candidate for that office and 
each specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing only one 
candidate for that office, other than a candidate or committee to 
which Section 254.036 [254.036(c) or] (d) applies, has filed a 
report for that reporting deadline.  Regardless of whether each 
candidate for a particular office and each specific-purpose 
committee for supporting or opposing only one candidate for that 
office has filed a report for a filing deadline, the commission 
shall make each report in connection with that office available on 
the Internet and by any other electronic means on:
		(1)  the 21st day after the date of the filing deadline, 
for a report other than a report required to be filed under Section 
254.064(c);  or
		(2)  the fourth day after the date of the filing 
deadline, for a report required to be filed under Section 
254.064(c).
	SECTION 3.  For purposes of this Act, an officeholder or 
committee that was subject to Section 254.036(c), Election Code, as 
that section existed immediately before the effective date of this 
Act, may continue to file reports in the manner required by that 
section until the officeholder or committee is no longer required 
to file reports with the commission, and the former law is continued 
in effect for that purpose.
	SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003, and 
applies only to a report filed under Chapter 254, Election Code, on 
or after that date.