BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 433

By: Shaheen

State Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls for entities that use public money for legislative lobbying activities to disclose information regarding the expenditure of the money. C.S.H.B. 433 seeks to address these calls by requiring certain political subdivisions and transportation authorities that use public money to influence or attempt to influence the outcome of legislation to make disclosures regarding expenditures of that money.

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

C.S.H.B. 433 amends the Local Government Code to require a political subdivision that imposes a tax, a regional mobility authority, a toll road authority, or a transit authority, if the political subdivision or authority uses any public money to influence or attempt to influence the outcome of any legislation pending before the legislature, to disclose on any required comprehensive annual financial report the total amount spent during the fiscal year to compensate persons required to register as a lobbyist to influence the outcome of legislation. The bill expressly does not require such a political subdivision or authority to prepare a separate comprehensive annual financial report for these required disclosures.         

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 433 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute changes the requirement to disclose the total amount spent to directly or indirectly influence or attempt to influence the outcome of legislation and each person required to register as a lobbyist who was compensated for such purposes to a requirement to disclose the total amount spent to compensate such registrants to influence the outcome of legislation.