78R9972 ESH-D


By:  Gallego                                                      H.B. No. 1583



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the regulation of political contributions to certain 
judicial candidates.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 253.153, Election Code, is amended by 
amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection (b-1) to 
read as follows:
	(a)  A judicial candidate or officeholder, a 
specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing a judicial 
candidate, or a specific-purpose committee for assisting a judicial 
officeholder may not knowingly accept a political contribution 
except during the period:
		(1)  beginning on:                                                            
			(A)  the 210th day before the date an application 
for a place on the ballot or for nomination by convention for the 
office is required to be filed, if the election is for a full term; 
or
			(B)  the later of the 210th day before the date an 
application for a place on the ballot or for nomination by 
convention for the office is required to be filed or the date a 
vacancy in the office occurs, if the election is for an unexpired 
term; and
		(2)  except as provided by Subsection (c), ending on 
the 120th day after the date [of]:
			(A)  of the general election for state and county 
officers, if the candidate or officeholder has an opponent in the 
general election;
			(B)  of [except as provided by Subsection (c),] 
the runoff primary election, if the candidate or officeholder is a 
candidate in the runoff primary election and will [does] not have an 
opponent in the general election; [or]
			(C)  of [except as provided by Subsection (c),] 
the general primary election, if the candidate or officeholder has 
an opponent in the primary election or for nomination by 
convention, is not a candidate in the runoff primary election, and 
will [does] not have an opponent in the general election; or
			(D)  an application for a place on the ballot or 
for nomination by convention for the office is required to be filed, 
if the candidate or officeholder:
				(i)  does not have an opponent in the primary 
election or for nomination by convention; and
				(ii)  will not have an opponent in the 
general election.           
	(b-1)  For purposes of Subsection (a)(2), the determination 
of whether a judicial candidate will have an opponent in the general 
election is made on the day after the date an application for a 
place on the ballot or for nomination by convention for the office 
is required to be filed.
	(c)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a)(2)(B), (C), or (D)
[(a)(2)], a judicial candidate to whom one of those provisions 
applies [who does not have an opponent whose name will appear on the 
ballot] or a specific-purpose committee for supporting such a 
candidate may accept a political contribution:
		(1)  beginning on the date [after] another person 
files:
			(A)  a declaration of intent to run as an 
independent candidate opposing the candidate; or
			(B)  a declaration of write-in candidacy opposing 
the candidate; and
		(2)  ending on the date specified by Subsection 
(a)(2)(A).           
	SECTION 2.  Section 253.153, Election Code, as amended by 
this Act, applies only to a political contribution accepted on or 
after September 1, 2003.  A political contribution accepted before 
September 1, 2003, is governed by the law in effect at the time the 
contribution was accepted, and the former law is continued in 
effect for that purpose.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.