H.B. No. 1495
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the ethics of certain public officials, including
  certain disclosure requirements.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act shall be cited as the J D Lambright
  Local Government Ethics Reform Act.
         SECTION 2.  Section 2252.908(b), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  This section applies only to a contract of a
  governmental entity or state agency that:
               (1)  requires an action or vote by the governing body of
  the entity or agency before the contract may be signed; [or]
               (2)  has a value of at least $1 million; or
               (3)  is for services that would require a person to
  register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305.
         SECTION 3.  Section 140.0045, Local Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 140.0045.  ITEMIZATION OF CERTAIN [PUBLIC NOTICE]
  EXPENDITURES REQUIRED IN CERTAIN POLITICAL SUBDIVISION BUDGETS.
  (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the proposed budget of a
  political subdivision must include, in a manner allowing for as
  clear a comparison as practicable between those expenditures in the
  proposed budget and actual expenditures for the same purpose in the
  preceding year, a line item indicating expenditures for:
               (1)  notices required by law to be published in a
  newspaper by the political subdivision or a representative of the
  political subdivision; and
               (2)  directly or indirectly influencing or attempting
  to influence the outcome of legislation or administrative action,
  as those terms are defined in Section 305.002, Government Code
  [that allows as clear a comparison as practicable between those
  expenditures in the proposed budget and actual expenditures for the
  same purpose in the preceding year].
         (b)  Subsection (a)(1) [This section] does not apply to a
  junior college district.
         SECTION 4.  Section 161.001, Local Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 161.001.  APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER. This chapter
  applies only to:
               (1)  a county that:
                     (A) [(1)]  has a population of 800,000 or more;
                     (B) [(2)]  is located on the international
  border; and
                     (C) [(3)]  before September 1, 2009, had a county
  ethics board appointed by the commissioners court;
               (2)  a county that:
                     (A)  has a population of 425,000 or more;
                     (B)  is adjacent to a county with a population of
  3.3 million or more; and
                     (C)  contains a portion of the San Jacinto River;
  and
               (3)  a county that has a population of less than 40,000
  that is adjacent to a county with a population of more than 3.3
  million.
         SECTION 5.  Subchapter C, Chapter 161, Local Government
  Code, is amended by adding Section 161.107 to read as follows:
         Sec. 161.107.  DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN CONTRACTS. (a)  The
  commission shall prominently display on the county's Internet
  website the following regarding contracts for services executed by
  the county that would require a person to register as a lobbyist
  under Chapter 305, Government Code:
               (1)  the execution dates;
               (2)  the contract duration terms, including any
  extension options;
               (3)  the effective dates;
               (4)  the final amount of money the county paid in the
  previous fiscal year;
               (5)  the identity of all parties to the contract;
               (6)  the identity of all subcontractors in the
  contract; and
               (7)  the legislative agenda of the county.
         (b)  In lieu of displaying the items described by Subsections
  (a)(1)-(6) regarding a contract for services that would require a
  person to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305, Government
  Code, the commission may post on the county's Internet website the
  contract executed by the county for those services.
         (c)  Information required to be displayed on a county's
  Internet website under this section is public information subject
  to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code.
         SECTION 6.  Chapter 170, Local Government Code, is amended
  by adding Section 170.002 to read as follows:
         Sec. 170.002.  CODE OF ETHICS FOR CERTAIN COMMISSIONERS
  COURTS. (a) This section applies to a county that has a population
  of less than 40,000 that is adjacent to a county with a population
  of more than 3.3 million.
         (b)  The commissioners court of a county subject to this
  section may adopt by order a code of ethics that provides standards
  of conduct for members of the commissioners court.
         (c)  If a commissioners court of a county subject to this
  section adopts a code of ethics under this section, the code of
  ethics must require each member of the commissioners court to file a
  conflicts disclosure statement that is in addition to the statement
  required by Section 176.003.
         SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1495 was passed by the House on May 8,
  2019, by the following vote:  Yeas 109, Nays 28, 2 present, not
  voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to
  H.B. No. 1495 on May 24, 2019, and requested the appointment of a
  conference committee to consider the differences between the two
  houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report
  on H.B. No. 1495 on May 26, 2019, by the following vote:  Yeas 116,
  Nays 11, 1 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1495 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 22, 2019, by the following vote:  Yeas 27, Nays
  4; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference
  committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and
  that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No.
  1495 on May 26, 2019, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor