| TO: | Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives |
| FROM: | John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1616 by Geren (Relating to the reporting of political contributions, political expenditures, and personal financial information, and to complaints filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.), As Passed 2nd House |
The bill would amend Election Code to make additions to the list of information that must be included on campaign finance reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission (Commission), and changes the reporting threshhold for political contributions from $50 to $100. The bill would also change the procedures for filing amended reports to the Commission, and revise the procedures for dismissal of complaints challenging certain information in political reports made to the Commission. Finally, the bill would allow filers 14 business days to correct a report that is the basis of a sworn complaint if the original report was made in good faith and without an intent to mislead or to misrepresent the information contained in the report. The bill would require that the complaint be dismissed by the Commission after the report is corrected. The Commission anticipates that this could result in up to a 90 percent reduction in the amount of fines assessed and collected from sworn complaints.
It is anticipated that the increase in the reporting threshhold could result in some savings due to decreased filings with the Commission. It is also anticipated that any additional costs associated with implementation of the legislation could be absorbed within existing resources.
| Source Agencies: | 356 Texas Ethics Commission
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, KJG, MS, DEH, JT
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