BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3789

By: Geren

General Investigating & Ethics

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, state officers, partisan or independent candidates for certain elective offices, and state party chairs are required to file a personal financial statement with the Texas Ethics Commission. There are concerns, however, that this filing requirement does not include disclosure of certain contracts or subcontracts with governmental entities. H.B. 3789 seeks to address this concern by requiring such an individual to include certain additional information in the individual's account of financial activity.

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

H.B. 3789 amends the Government Code to expand the contents of an account of financial activity included in the personal financial statement of a state officer, a partisan or independent candidate for an office as an elected officer, or a state party chair that is filed on or after January 1, 2017, to include the identification of each contract or subcontract with a public entity to which the individual or the individual's spouse is a party and each paid relationship the individual or the individual's spouse has with a public entity. The bill clarifies that, for such purposes, the term "public entity" includes the state and a political subdivision of the state.

EFFECTIVE DATE

January 1, 2016.