Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas House Bill HB1999 Compare Versions

The same version is selected twice. Please select two different versions to compare.

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	83R7568 CAE-D
2	2	By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 1999
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to contributions and expenditures of and contribution and
8	8	expenditure reports filed by specific-purpose political
9	9	committees; providing civil and criminal penalties.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. The heading to Section 253.037, Election Code,
12	12	is amended to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 253.037. RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRIBUTION OR EXPENDITURE
14	14	BY POLITICAL [GENERAL-PURPOSE] COMMITTEE.
15	15	SECTION 2. Section 253.037(a), Election Code, is amended to
16	16	read as follows:
17	17	(a) A political [general-purpose] committee may not
18	18	knowingly make or authorize a political contribution or political
19	19	expenditure unless the committee has:
20	20	(1) filed its campaign treasurer appointment not later
21	21	than the 60th day before the date the contribution or expenditure is
22	22	made; and
23	23	(2) accepted political contributions from at least 10
24	24	persons.
25	25	SECTION 3. Subchapter E, Chapter 254, Election Code, is
26	26	amended by adding Sections 254.1241 through 254.1244 to read as
27	27	follows:
28	28	Sec. 254.1241. OPTION TO FILE MONTHLY; NOTICE. (a) As an
29	29	alternative to filing reports under Sections 254.123 and 254.124, a
30	30	specific-purpose committee may file monthly reports.
31	31	(b) To be entitled to file monthly reports, the committee
32	32	must deliver written notice of the committee's intent to file
33	33	monthly to the authority with whom the committee's reports are
34	34	required to be filed under this subchapter not earlier than January
35	35	1 or later than January 15 of the year in which the committee
36	36	intends to file monthly. The notice for a committee formed after
37	37	January 15 must be delivered at the time the committee's campaign
38	38	treasurer appointment is filed.
39	39	(c) A committee that files monthly reports may revert to the
40	40	regular filing schedule prescribed by Sections 254.123 and 254.124
41	41	by delivering written notice of the committee's intent not earlier
42	42	than January 1 or later than January 15 of the year in which the
43	43	committee intends to revert to the regular reporting schedule. The
44	44	notice must include a report of all political contributions
45	45	accepted and all political expenditures made that were not
46	46	previously reported.
47	47	Sec. 254.1242. CONTENTS OF MONTHLY REPORTS. Each monthly
48	48	report filed under this subchapter must comply with Sections
49	49	254.031 and 254.121 except that the maximum amount of a political
50	50	contribution, expenditure, or loan that is not required to be
51	51	individually reported is $10 in the aggregate.
52	52	Sec. 254.1243. MONTHLY REPORTING SCHEDULE. (a) The
53	53	campaign treasurer of a specific-purpose committee filing monthly
54	54	reports shall file a report not later than the fifth day of the
55	55	month following the period covered by the report. A report covering
56	56	the month preceding an election in which the committee is involved
57	57	must be received by the authority with whom the report is required
58	58	to be filed not later than the fifth day of the month following the
59	59	period covered by the report.
60	60	(b) A monthly report covers the period beginning the 26th
61	61	day of each month and continuing through the 25th day of the
62	62	following month, except that the period covered by the first report
63	63	begins January 1 and continues through January 25.
64	64	Sec. 254.1244. EXCEPTION TO MONTHLY REPORTING SCHEDULE. If
65	65	the campaign treasurer appointment of a specific-purpose committee
66	66	filing monthly reports is filed after January 1 of the year in which
67	67	monthly reports are filed, the period covered by the first monthly
68	68	report begins the day the appointment is filed and continues
69	69	through the 25th day of the month in which the appointment is filed
70	70	unless the appointment is filed the 25th or a succeeding day of the
71	71	month. In that case, the period continues through the 25th day of
72	72	the month following the month in which the appointment is filed.
73	73	SECTION 4. Section 253.037(a), Election Code, as amended by
74	74	this Act, applies only to a political contribution or political
75	75	expenditure made on or after September 1, 2013. A contribution or
76	76	expenditure made before September 1, 2013, is governed by the law in
77	77	effect on the date the contribution or expenditure was made, and the
78	78	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
79	79	SECTION 5. The changes in law made by Sections 254.1241
80	80	through 254.1244, Election Code, as added by this Act, apply only to
81	81	a report of political contributions and expenditures that is
82	82	required to be filed on or after September 1, 2013. A report of
83	83	contributions and expenditures that is required to be filed before
84	84	September 1, 2013, is governed by the law in effect on the date the
85	85	report is required to be filed, and the former law is continued in
86	86	effect for that purpose.
87	87	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.