BILL ANALYSIS
By: Zaffirini
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Under current law, political candidates and their campaign committees are required to file campaign reports with the Texas Ethics Commission during the last nine days of an election if they receive individual contributions of more than $1,000, and group contributions of more than $15,000. This requirement, however, does not extend to general purpose political action committees, as defined by Section 251.001(14), Election Code. C.S.S.B. 64 requires a general purpose political action committee to report contributions in accordance with those laws governing such contributions to political candidates and their campaign committees.
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
C.S.S.B. 64 amends the Election Code by requiring a general-purpose committee to file additional reports during the period beginning the ninth day before election day and ending at 12 noon on the day before the election if it accepts political contributions from a person that in aggregate exceed $5,000 during that reporting period, or makes direct campaign expenditures supporting or opposing either a single candidate that in the aggregate exceed $1,000 or group of candidates that in aggregate exceed $15,000 during that reporting period.
The measure requires a report to be received by the Texas Ethic Commission no later than 5:00 p.m. of the first business day after the date a contribution is accepted.
C.S.S.B. 64 requires that each report as described must include the amount of the contributions specified, the full name and address of the person making the contributions, and the dates of the contributions.
The measure also removes an exception for telegram reports under Section 254.038 or 254.039, relating to the determination by the Texas Ethics Commission of a report being filed late.
This Act only applies to the reporting of a political contribution accepted on or after September 1, 2007 and only to a report to be filed on or after September 1, 2007.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2007.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The differences between the original and the substitute lie in SECTION 1 of the measures. C.S.S.B. 64 changes the time period for filing additional reports by a general purpose committee from "during the period beginning the ninth day before Election Day and ending at 12 noon on the second day before Election Day" to "during the period beginning the ninth day before Election Day and ending at 12 noon on the day before Election Day."
C.S.S.B. 64 requires that the commission receive a report of a contribution and/or an expenditure not later than 5 p.m. of the first business day after the date the contribution is accepted or the expenditure is made. The original bill established that only a report of a contribution had to be filed no later than 5:00 p.m. of the first business day of when a contribution was accepted.