| 1 | 1 | | 81R2524 ESH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Ellis S.B. No. 695 |
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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 public access to personal financial statements filed by |
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| 8 | 8 | | candidates for and holders of state office and state chairs of |
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| 9 | 9 | | political parties. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 572.032, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | amending Subsections (a), (a-1), and (c) and adding Subsection |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a-2) to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a) Financial statements filed under this subchapter are |
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| 15 | 15 | | public records. The commission shall: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) maintain the statements in separate alphabetical |
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| 17 | 17 | | files and in a manner that is accessible to the public during |
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| 18 | 18 | | regular office hours; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) not later than the 10th business day after the date |
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| 20 | 20 | | a statement is filed, post the statement on the commission's |
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| 21 | 21 | | Internet website. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (a-1) The commission shall remove the home address of a |
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| 23 | 23 | | judge or justice from a financial statement filed under this |
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| 24 | 24 | | subchapter before: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (1) permitting a member of the public to view the |
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| 26 | 26 | | statement; [or] |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) providing a copy of the statement to a member of |
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| 28 | 28 | | the public; or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) posting the statement on the commission's Internet |
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| 30 | 30 | | website. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (a-2) In posting financial statements on the commission's |
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| 32 | 32 | | Internet website, the commission shall to the extent practicable |
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| 33 | 33 | | arrange the statements in a manner that: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) groups together the statements filed by |
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| 35 | 35 | | individuals holding or seeking the same type of office; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) groups together all statements filed by an |
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| 37 | 37 | | individual that appear on the website. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) After the second anniversary of the date the individual |
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| 39 | 39 | | ceases to be a state officer, the commission may and on notification |
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| 40 | 40 | | from the former state officer shall: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) destroy each financial statement filed by the |
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| 42 | 42 | | state officer; and |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) remove each financial statement filed by the state |
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| 44 | 44 | | officer from the commission's Internet website. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. Section 572.032(b), Government Code, is |
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| 46 | 46 | | repealed. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 3. Section 572.032, Government Code, as amended by |
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| 48 | 48 | | this Act, applies only to a financial statement filed under |
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| 49 | 49 | | Subchapter B, Chapter 572, Government Code, that is due on or after |
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| 50 | 50 | | September 1, 2009. |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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