| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the availability on the Internet of reports of |
|
|
political contributions or expenditures filed in connection with |
|
|
certain offices. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 254.0401, Election Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsections (a-1) and (c) and adding Subsections (e-1) and |
|
|
(g) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a-1) The county clerk of a county with a population of |
|
|
50,000 [800,000] or more that maintains an Internet website shall |
|
|
make a report filed with the clerk by a candidate, officeholder, or |
|
|
specific-purpose committee under this subchapter in connection |
|
|
with a county office or the office of county commissioner available |
|
|
to the public on the county's Internet website not later than the |
|
|
fifth business day after the date the report is received. |
|
|
(c) The clerk of a municipality with a population of 50,000 |
|
|
[500,000] or more that maintains an Internet website shall make a |
|
|
report filed with the clerk by a candidate, officeholder, or |
|
|
specific-purpose committee under this subchapter in connection |
|
|
with the office of mayor or member of the municipality's governing |
|
|
body available to the public on the municipality's Internet website |
|
|
not later than the fifth business day after the date the report is |
|
|
received. |
|
|
(e-1) Before making a report available on the Internet as |
|
|
required by Subsection (a-1) or (c), the authority with whom the |
|
|
report is filed may remove each portion, other than city, state, and |
|
|
zip code, of the address of a person listed as having made a |
|
|
political contribution to the person filing the report. The address |
|
|
information removed must remain available on the report maintained |
|
|
in the authority's office. |
|
|
(g) A report made available on an Internet website under |
|
|
this section must be accessible on that website until the fifth |
|
|
anniversary of the date the report is first made available. |
|
|
SECTION 2. The heading to Section 254.04011, Election Code, |
|
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 254.04011. AVAILABILITY OF REPORTS OF MEMBER OF |
|
|
GOVERNING BODY OF SCHOOL OR PUBLIC JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT |
|
|
[TRUSTEES] ON INTERNET. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 254.04011, Election Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsections (a), (c), and (e) and adding Subsections (b-1) |
|
|
and (f) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) This section applies only to a school or public junior |
|
|
college district that maintains an Internet website and has [:
|
|
|
[(1)
located wholly or partly in a municipality with a
|
|
|
population of more than 500,000; and
|
|
|
[(2) with] a student enrollment of more than 15,000. |
|
|
(b-1) A report filed under this chapter by a member of the |
|
|
governing body of a public junior college district, a candidate for |
|
|
membership on the governing body of a public junior college |
|
|
district, or a specific-purpose committee for supporting, |
|
|
opposing, or assisting a candidate or member of a governing body of |
|
|
a public junior college district must be posted on the Internet |
|
|
website of the district. |
|
|
(c) A report to which Subsection (b) or (b-1) applies must |
|
|
be available to the public on the Internet website not later than |
|
|
the fifth business day after the date the report is filed with the |
|
|
school district. |
|
|
(e) Before making a report available on the Internet under |
|
|
this section, the school district or public junior college district |
|
|
may remove each portion, other than city, state, and zip code, of |
|
|
the address of a person listed as having made a political |
|
|
contribution to the person filing the report. If the address |
|
|
information is removed as permitted by this subsection, the |
|
|
information must remain available on the report maintained in the |
|
|
[school] district's office. |
|
|
(f) A report made available on an Internet website under |
|
|
this section must be accessible on that website until the fifth |
|
|
anniversary of the date the report is first made available. |
|
|
SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections |
|
|
254.0401 and 254.04011, Election Code, apply only to a report of |
|
|
political contributions and expenditures that is required to be |
|
|
filed under Chapter 254, Election Code, on or after the effective |
|
|
date of this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |