BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2065

By: Gallego

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law makes no distinction between common and contract mail carriers that are used to deliver political or caucus contributions; the law states that contributions received in a timely manner through the mail may be accepted while those not received in a timely fashion must be returned, but it does not specify the type of carrier that is acceptable for sending or receiving such contributions. The law requires updating to reflect modern methods of contributing funds to political entities and to make the contribution requirements more flexible by including common or contract carriers, such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service. 

H.B. 2065 includes a common or contract carrier as a method by which a political contribution or caucus contribution, if properly mailed, is not considered received during the contribution moratorium period.

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

H.B. 2065 amends the Election Code to include the use of a common or contract carrier to the delivery methods by which a political contribution or caucus contribution, if properly mailed or delivered to the contract carrier before the beginning of the moratorium on the acceptance of contributions during the regular legislative session, is not considered received during the moratorium period.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2009.