BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 1380 |
By: Flynn |
Elections |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties believe that there should be more transparency requirements for the disclosure of debt information to voters who are presented with a ballot proposition for approval of the issuance of bonds or for a tax issue. C.S.H.B. 1380 seeks to impose these requirements.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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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.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 1380 amends the Election Code to expand the information that must be specifically stated with respect to a ballot proposition seeking voter approval of the issuance of bonds to include, if the issuer is a political subdivision, including a county, city, school district, or other special district: · the total amount of the political subdivision's outstanding debt on the first day of the fiscal year in which the election is held; · the total amount of the political subdivision's debt payments on the first day of the fiscal year in which the election is held; · the total amount of the political subdivision's debt obligations on the first day of the fiscal year in which the election is held, stated as a per capita amount for the political subdivision's population; and · the estimated tax rate if the bonds are authorized, stated as a per capita amount for the political subdivision's population. The bill expands the information that must be specifically stated with respect to a proposition that only seeks voter approval of the imposition or increase of a tax to include, if the authority holding the election is a political subdivision, including a county, city, school district, or other special district: · the tax rate increase if the imposition or increase is approved, stated as a per capita amount for the political subdivision's population; and · a detailed description of the purposes for which the tax is to be imposed or increased, if approved. The bill expands the information that must be specifically stated with respect to a proposition that only seeks voter approval of the reduction of a tax to include, if the authority holding the election is a political subdivision, including a county, city, school district, or other special district, the estimated tax rate reduction, stated as a per capita amount for the political subdivision's population.
C.S.H.B. 1380 prohibits a proposition submitted to the voters for approval of the issuance of bonds or the imposition, increase, or reduction of a tax from exceeding 5,000 characters or a different limit prescribed by the secretary of state that ensures that the length of the proposition does not exceed one page of the ballot or one screen on an electronic voting machine.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2015.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 1380 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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