81R10994 CAE-D
By: Woolley H.B. No. 2725
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the posting by a governmental entity on an Internet
website of information relating to certain business relationships
and to venue for and prosecution by the attorney general of offenses
related to the disclosure of those relationships.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 176.009, Local Government Code, is
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 176.009. POSTING ON INTERNET. (a) A local
governmental entity that maintains an Internet website shall
provide access to each statement or questionnaire [the statements
and to questionnaires] required to be filed under this chapter on
that website not later than the fifth day after the date the
statement or questionnaire is filed. Each statement or
questionnaire posted on a local governmental entity's Internet
website must be posted in an electronically searchable format.
This subsection does not require a local governmental entity to
maintain an Internet website.
(b) This subsection applies only to a county with a
population of 800,000 or more or a municipality with a population of
500,000 or more. A county or municipality shall provide, on the
Internet website maintained by the county or municipality, access
to each report of political contributions and expenditures filed
under Chapter 254, Election Code, by a member of the commissioners
court of the county or the governing body of the municipality in
relation to that office not later than the fifth day after the date
the report is filed. A report posted on an Internet website as
required by this subsection must be posted in an electronically
searchable format [as soon as practicable after the officer files
the report].
SECTION 2. Chapter 176, Local Government Code, is amended
by adding Sections 176.013 and 176.014 to read as follows:
Sec. 176.013. VENUE. An offense under this chapter,
including perjury, may be prosecuted in any county in which it may
be prosecuted under the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Sec. 176.014. PROSECUTION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL. With the
consent of the appropriate local county or district attorney, the
attorney general has concurrent jurisdiction with that consenting
local prosecutor to investigate or prosecute an offense under this
chapter.
SECTION 3. Section 176.009, Local Government Code, as
amended by this Act, applies only to the posting on a local
governmental entity's Internet website of a statement,
questionnaire, or report filed on or after the effective date of
this Act. The posting on a local governmental entity's Internet
website of a statement, questionnaire, or report filed before the
effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the
date the statement, questionnaire, or report is filed, and the
former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.