BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2470

By: Davis, Sarah

General Investigating & Ethics

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that the Texas Ethics Commission provides seminars for persons required to register under statutory provisions regarding lobbyist registration and that a seminar attendance fee may be charged to those attendees. The parties assert that the commission should also provide seminars relating to laws administered and enforced by the commission and that seminar attendance fees should be charged to cover seminar costs, including costs of providing food and nonalcoholic beverages to attendees. H.B. 2470 authorizes such seminars and attendance fees and specifies that seminar costs for both types of seminars include the cost of providing food or nonalcoholic beverages to attendees.

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. 2470 amends the Government Code to authorize the Texas Ethics Commission to provide a seminar that addresses the laws administered and enforced by the commission and any other relevant laws, as determined by the commission, and to charge a fee for attending the seminar in an amount necessary to cover the costs associated with the seminar, including the cost of providing food or nonalcoholic beverages to attendees. The bill specifies that the costs associated with a seminar for persons required to register under statutory provisions regarding lobbyist registration for which the commission may charge attendees a fee to cover include the cost of providing food or nonalcoholic beverages to attendees.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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