BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                                     H.B. 1381

80R11859 ATP-D                                                                                            By: McCall (Shapiro)

                                                                                                                                       State Affairs

                                                                                                                                            5/16/2007

                                                                                                                                           Engrossed

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Current law provides that the reports certain entities involved in an election are required to file are considered to be filed in a timely manner if they are postmarked by the filing deadline, unless otherwise provided by law.  In many cases, a report filed near the election might not be received by the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) until after the election has taken place.  Requiring pre-election reports to be received by TEC and other appropriate authorities by the deadline would help improve campaign transparency.

 

H.B. 1381 requires such reports to be received by the appropriate authority by the filing deadline.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Sections 254.064(b) through (e), Election Code, as follows:

 

(b)  Requires the first report in the series of reports required to be filed by a person who is a candidate in an election and has an opponent whose name is to appear on the ballot to be received by the authority with whom the report is required to be filed not later than the 30th day before election day. 

 

(c) through (e)  Makes conforming changes.

 

SECTION 2.  Amends Sections 254.124(b) through (e), Election Code, as follows:

 

(b)  Requires the first report in the series of reports required to be filed by the campaign treasurer of a specific-purpose committee that supports or opposes a candidate or measure in an election to be received by the authority with whom the report is required to be filed not later than the 30th day before election day. 

 

(c) through (e)  Makes conforming changes.

 

SECTION 3.  Amends Sections 254.154(b) through (e), Election Code, as follows:

 

(b)  Requires the first report in the series of reports required to be filed by the campaign treasurer of a general-purpose committee involved in an election to be received by the authority with whom the report is required to be filed not later than the 30th day before election day. 

 

(c) through (e)  Makes conforming changes.

 

SECTION 4.  Amends Section 254.157(a), Election Code, to require the monthly report required to be filed by the campaign treasurer of a general-purpose committee covering the month preceding an election in which the committee is involved to be received by the authority with whom the report is required to be filed not later than the fifth day of the month following the period covered by the report.

 

SECTION 5.  Makes application of this Act prospective.

 

SECTION 6.  Effective date: September 1, 2007.