BILL ANALYSIS
By: Raymond
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Current law requires full disclosure of contributions and expenditures by an elected official or state officer. Judicial officers face a variety of criminals on a daily basis and safety has become a grave concern. As violence continues to plague our communities, judicial officers are subject to viscous threats that affect their way of living. In order for judicial officers to perform a fair and impartial administration of the law, it is essential to preserve their security. House Bill 842 prohibits public access to personal financial statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission. The Commission shall not distribute or permit the public to view the home address of a judge or justice from a financial statement.
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
House Bill 842 amends the Government Code to require the Texas Ethics Commission to remove the home address of a judge or justice from a financial statement that must be filed. The bill provides that the home address must be removed before the public can view or obtain a duplicate of the statement.
H.B. 842 affects financial statements filed on, before, or after the effective date of this Act.
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2007.