| |
|
| |
|
|
By: Branch, England (Senate Sponsor - Harris) |
H.B. No. 89 |
|
|
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 11, 2007; |
|
|
May 15, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on State |
|
|
Affairs; May 18, 2007, reported favorably by the following vote: |
|
|
Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 18, 2007, sent to printer.) |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to an exemption for certain political committees from the |
|
|
imposition of civil penalties for violating requirements for |
|
|
reporting political contributions and expenditures. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 254, Election Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 254.164 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 254.164. CERTAIN COMMITTEES EXEMPT FROM CIVIL |
|
|
PENALTIES. The commission may not impose a civil penalty on a |
|
|
general-purpose committee for a violation of this chapter if the |
|
|
report filed by the committee that is the subject of the violation |
|
|
discloses that the committee did not accept political contributions |
|
|
totaling $3,000 or more, accept political contributions from a |
|
|
single person totaling $1,000 or more, or make or authorize |
|
|
political expenditures totaling $3,000 or more during: |
|
|
(1) the reporting period covered by the report that is |
|
|
the subject of the violation; or |
|
|
(2) either of the two reporting periods preceding the |
|
|
reporting period described by Subdivision (1). |
|
|
SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2008, the Texas |
|
|
Ethics Commission shall submit a report to the legislature on the |
|
|
impacts and effects of Section 254.164, Election Code, as added by |
|
|
this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 254.164, Election Code, as added by this |
|
|
Act, applies only to a violation of Chapter 254, Election Code, |
|
|
relating to a report required to be filed under that chapter on or |
|
|
after the effective date of this Act. A violation of Chapter 254, |
|
|
Election Code, relating to a report required to be filed under that |
|
|
chapter before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law |
|
|
in effect when the violation occurred, and the former law is |
|
|
continued in effect for that purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |