82R7954 CAE-F
By: Branch H.B. No. 2629
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to honorariums offered to and accepted by public servants.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 36.07, Penal Code, is amended by adding
Section (b-1) to read as follows:
(b-1) An honorarium described by Subsection (b) is not a
political contribution as defined by Title 15, Election Code.
SECTION 2. Section 36.10(a), Penal Code, is amended to read
as follows:
(a) Sections 36.08 (Gift to Public Servant) and 36.09
(Offering Gift to Public Servant) do not apply to:
(1) a fee prescribed by law to be received by a public
servant or any other benefit to which the public servant is lawfully
entitled or for which he gives legitimate consideration in a
capacity other than as a public servant;
(2) a gift or other benefit conferred on account of
kinship or a personal, professional, or business relationship
independent of the official status of the recipient; or
(3) a benefit to a public servant required to file a
statement under Chapter 572, Government Code, or a report under
Title 15, Election Code, that is derived from a function in honor or
appreciation of the recipient if:
(A) the benefit and the source of any benefit in
excess of $50 is reported in the statement; and
(B) the benefit is used solely to defray the
expenses that accrue in the performance of duties or activities in
connection with the office which are nonreimbursable by the state
or political subdivision;
(4) a political contribution as defined by Title 15,
Election Code;
(5) a gift, award, or memento to a member of the
legislative or executive branch that is required to be reported
under Chapter 305, Government Code;
(6) an item with a value of less than $50, excluding
cash or a negotiable instrument as described by Section 3.104,
Business & Commerce Code; [or]
(7) an item issued by a governmental entity that
allows the use of property or facilities owned, leased, or operated
by the governmental entity; or
(8) an honorarium described by Section 36.07(b).
SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
an honorarium accepted on or after the effective date of this Act.
An honorarium accepted before the effective date of this Act is
governed by the law in effect when the honorarium was made, and the
former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.