BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1142

By: Carona

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law requires that every candidate and political committee appoint a campaign treasurer and that candidates, officeholders, and political committees file campaign finance reports detailing their contributions and expenditures with the authority with whom the candidate's, officeholder's, and political committee's campaign treasurer appointment is required to be filed.  Since most campaign treasurer appointments are required to be filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, campaign finance reports are generally required to be filed with the commission as well.

Currently judicial candidates and judicial officeholders for judicial district offices filled by voters of only one county and specific-purpose committees supporting such judicial candidates are required to file a campaign finance report with the county clerk of that county.  This creates a duplicate filing requirement for these judicial candidates, officeholders, and political committees.  Because the commission makes all reports filed with the commission available over the Internet, there is no longer a need to make some reports available locally.

S.B. 1142 removes the requirement that candidates, officeholders, and specific-purpose committees for judicial district offices filled by voters of only one county file a campaign finance report with the county clerk of that county. 

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

S.B. 1142 amends the Election Code to remove the requirement that a candidate or an officeholder for a judicial district office filled by voters of only one county, or a specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing a candidate for or assisting a holder of a judicial district filled by voters of only one county, file a campaign finance report with the county clerk of that county.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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