BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

H.B. 1942

By: Turner

General Investigating & Ethics

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties contend that personal financial statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission are largely inaccessible to the public. H.B. 1942 seeks to increase transparency and accessibility by requiring that certain such statements be made available to the public online.

 

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. 1942 amends the Government Code to require the Texas Ethics Commission to make personal financial statements of certain public officials or candidates filed with the commission available to the public on the commission's website not later than the 15th day after the date the statement is required to be filed or is actually filed, whichever is later. The bill establishes that the commission is not required to continue to make available on its website a financial statement that may be destroyed after the second anniversary of the date the individual who filed it ceases to be a state officer and prohibits the commission from making available on its website a financial statement that the commission is required to destroy on notification from the former state officer.

 

H.B. 1942 repeals Section 572.032(b), Government Code, requiring the commission to place in a state officer's file a specified statement each time a person other than the commission or a commission employee acting on official business requests to see a personal financial statement during the one-year period following the filing of the statement.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.