By: Smith of Tarrant, Leibowitz H.B. No. 4060
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the period during which a judicial candidate or
  officeholder may accept political contributions.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 253.153(a) and (b), Election Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A judicial candidate or officeholder, a
  specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing a judicial
  candidate, or a specific-purpose committee for assisting a judicial
  officeholder may not knowingly accept a political contribution
  except during the period:
               (1)  beginning on:
                     (A)  the 210th day before the date an application
  for a place on the ballot or for nomination by convention for the
  office is required to be filed, if the election is for a full term;
  or
                     (B)  the later of the 210th day before the date an
  application for a place on the ballot or for nomination by
  convention for the office is required to be filed or the date a
  vacancy in the office occurs, if the election is for an unexpired
  term; and
               (2)  ending on the 120th day after the date of[:
                     [(A)]  the [general] election in which the
  candidate or officeholder last appeared on the ballot, regardless
  of whether the candidate or officeholder has an opponent in that
  election [for state and county officers, if the candidate or
  officeholder has an opponent in the general election;
                     [(B)     except as provided by Subsection (c), the
  runoff primary election, if the candidate or officeholder is a
  candidate in the runoff primary election and does not have an
  opponent in the general election; or
                     [(C)     except as provided by Subsection (c), the
  general primary election, if the candidate or officeholder is not a
  candidate in the runoff primary election and does not have an
  opponent in the general election].
         (b)  Subsection (a)(2) does not apply to a political
  contribution that was made and accepted with the intent that it be
  used to defray expenses incurred in connection with an election,
  including the repayment of any debt that is:
               (1)  incurred directly by the making of a campaign
  expenditure during the period beginning on the date the application
  for a place on the ballot or for nomination by convention was
  required to be filed for the election in which the candidate last
  appeared on the ballot and ending on the date of that election;
               (2)  subject to the restrictions prescribed by Sections
  253.162 and 253.1621; and
               (3)  not incurred in connection with the defense of any
  ethics matter [contest].
         SECTION 2.  Section 253.153(c), Election Code, is repealed.
         SECTION 3.  Section 253.153, Election Code, as amended by
  this Act, applies only to a political contribution accepted on or
  after September 1, 2009. A political contribution accepted before
  September 1, 2009, is governed by the law in effect at the time the
  contribution was accepted.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.