BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3680

By: Geren

Government Transparency & Operation

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties assert that there is a need for clarification in the law to ensure that electronic report data saved in a temporary storage location of the Texas Ethics Commission remains confidential until after the report is filed. C.S.H.B. 3680 seeks to clarify this issue.

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.

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

C.S.H.B. 3680 amends the Government Code to make electronic report data saved in a Texas Ethics Commission temporary storage location for later retrieval and editing, before certain reports submitted to the commission are filed, confidential and to prohibit the disclosure of such data. The bill makes the information disclosed in the filed report, after the report is filed with the commission, public information to the extent provided by the law requiring the filing of the report.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2015.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 3680 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.

INTRODUCED	HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
SECTION 1.  Section 571.0671, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: (d)  Electronic report data saved in a commission temporary storage location for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed is confidential and may not be disclosed. After the report is filed, the information disclosed in the report is subject to the law requiring the filing of the report.	SECTION 1.  Section 571.0671, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: (d)  Electronic report data saved in a commission temporary storage location for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed is confidential and may not be disclosed.  After the report is filed with the commission, the information disclosed in the filed report is public information to the extent provided by the law requiring the filing of the report.
SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.	SECTION 2. Same as introduced version.