AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Under current law, the filing deadline for a place on the primary general election ballot is the second Monday in December. The due date for a candidate's personal financial statement (PFS) is statutorily tied to the primary filing deadline; specifically, it is due 40 days after the primary filing deadline. In 2014, this meant the PFS was due on January 21, well before end-of-year tax information is generally available.
S.B. 431 amends the statute by moving the due date of the PFS to 60 days after the filing deadline or February 12, whichever is later. This change allows candidates a reasonable amount of time to receive all end-of-year tax information necessary to complete the PFS.
As proposed, S.B. 431 amends current law relating to the deadline for filing a candidate's personal financial statement.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 572.027(a), Government Code, as follows:
(a) Requires an individual who is a partisan or independent candidate for an office as an elected officer to file the financial statement required by this subchapter not later than the later of the 60th day after the date of the regular filing deadline for an application for a place on the ballot in the general primary election, or February 12, rather not later than the 40th day after the date of the regular filing deadline for an application for a place on the ballot in the general primary election.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2015.