| 1 | 1 | | 81R9214 ESH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1950 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to disclosures on certain electronic communications that |
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| 8 | 8 | | support or oppose a candidate, public officer, or measure. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 251.001, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | amending Subdivision (16) and adding Subdivision (21) to read as |
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| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (16) "Political advertising" means a communication |
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| 14 | 14 | | supporting or opposing a candidate for nomination or election to a |
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| 15 | 15 | | public office or office of a political party, a political party, a |
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| 16 | 16 | | public officer, or a measure that: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (A) in return for consideration, is published in |
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| 18 | 18 | | a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical or is broadcast by radio |
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| 19 | 19 | | or television; or |
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| 20 | 20 | | (B) appears: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (i) in a pamphlet, circular, flier, |
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| 22 | 22 | | billboard or other sign, bumper sticker, or similar form of written |
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| 23 | 23 | | communication; [or] |
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| 24 | 24 | | (ii) on an Internet website; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (iii) in a blog. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (21) "Blog" means an Internet website maintained by a |
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| 27 | 27 | | person that contains regular entries of commentary, descriptions of |
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| 28 | 28 | | events, or similar material. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. Section 255.001(d), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 30 | 30 | | read as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (d) This section does not apply to: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) tickets or invitations to political fund-raising |
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| 33 | 33 | | events; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) campaign buttons, pins, hats, or similar campaign |
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| 35 | 35 | | materials; [or] |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) circulars or flyers that cost in the aggregate |
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| 37 | 37 | | less than $500 to publish and distribute; or |
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| 38 | 38 | | (4) a blog maintained by: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (A) an individual who does not receive |
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| 40 | 40 | | compensation for maintaining the blog; or |
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| 41 | 41 | | (B) a recognized news organization, including a |
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| 42 | 42 | | newspaper, magazine, radio or television station or network, cable |
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| 43 | 43 | | television operator, programmer, or producer, or Internet |
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| 44 | 44 | | publication, that is not owned or affiliated with a candidate, |
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| 45 | 45 | | political committee, or political party. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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