BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3922

By: Pena

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Texas Ethics Commission is required to provide notice of filing deadlines for campaign finance reports via regular mail.  With the increasing cost of postage, this requirement has become costly for the commission. 

H.B. 3922 authorizes the Texas Ethics Commission to provide notice of filing deadlines via electronic mail.

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. 3922 amends the Election Code to authorize the Texas Ethics Commission when notifying the person responsible for filing a report for a candidate, officeholder, specific-purpose committee, and general-purpose committee of the filing deadline, to send the notification by electronic mail.  The bill revises provisions that discharge the commission from a requirement to again try to notify the person after two unsuccessful attempts, unless the person supplies the commission with a current address, or an electronic address.  The bill provides that the public information law does not apply to a filing deadline notification sent by electronic mail.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.