BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 1945
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Under current law, a party chairman is required to file a personal financial statement with the Texas Ethics Commission, just as most state officeholders are required to do. Current law also defines party chairman as the state chairman of any political party receiving more than two percent of the vote for governor in the most recent general election. To many observers, however, it is unclear whether the requirements in the Government Code relating to the party chairman refer to the state party chair or county party chair, because this definition is located much earlier. H.B. 1945 attempts to clarify the provisions and eliminate the confusion. H.B. 1945 also incorporates gender neutral terminology to harmonize these provisions of the Government Code with changes made to the Election Code.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 572.002(6), Government Code, to define "state party chair." Deletes existing definition of "party chairman."
SECTION 2. Amends Section 572.021, Government Code, to require a state officer, a partisan or independent candidate for an office as an elected officer, and a state party chair, rather than chairman, to file with the [Texas Ethics] Commission a verified financial statement complying with Sections 572.022 through 572.0252.
SECTION 3. Amends the heading to Section 572.026, Government Code, to read as follows:
Sec. 572.026. FILING DATES FOR STATE OFFICERS AND STATE PARTY CHAIRS.
SECTION 4. Amends Section 572.026(a), Government Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 5. Amends Section 572.034(a), Government Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 6. Provides that the amendment by this Act to Chapter 572 (Personal Financial Disclosure, Standards of Conduct, and Conflict of Interest), Government Code, is intended to clarify rather than change existing law and to conform to the gender-neutral terminology of the Election Code as amended by Chapter 864, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997.
SECTION 7. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2005.