| 1 | 1 | | 84R2755 ATP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Simpson H.B. No. 1582 |
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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 the disclosure of all compensation paid to current or |
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| 8 | 8 | | former elected officers. |
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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. Subtitle A, Title 5, Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | by adding Chapter 561 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | CHAPTER 561. DISCLOSURE OF COMPENSATION OF ELECTED OFFICER |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 561.001. APPLICABILITY. This chapter applies to any |
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| 14 | 14 | | governmental entity from whose budget an elected officer is |
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| 15 | 15 | | compensated, including an agency of this state or a political |
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| 16 | 16 | | subdivision of this state governed by one or more elected officers. |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 561.002. INFORMATION ABOUT ALL COMPENSATION OF ELECTED |
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| 18 | 18 | | OFFICER. (a) As soon as practicable after the end of the entity's |
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| 19 | 19 | | fiscal year, each entity described by Section 561.001 shall |
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| 20 | 20 | | disclose all forms of compensation for service in an official |
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| 21 | 21 | | capacity received by each currently serving or former elected |
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| 22 | 22 | | officer compensated by the entity during the preceding fiscal year |
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| 23 | 23 | | in any form, regardless of whether that form of compensation is |
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| 24 | 24 | | otherwise required to be disclosed under another law. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) For purposes of this section, compensation includes |
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| 26 | 26 | | travel reimbursement, health care premiums, retirement benefits, |
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| 27 | 27 | | and anything required to be reported by the recipient as income to |
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| 28 | 28 | | the Internal Revenue Service. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Sec. 561.003. POSTING OF DISCLOSURES. (a) Except as |
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| 30 | 30 | | provided by Subsection (b), the governmental entity must post the |
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| 31 | 31 | | disclosure required by Section 561.002 on the entity's Internet |
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| 32 | 32 | | website, in a location easily accessible by the public. The |
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| 33 | 33 | | disclosure must remain posted in a location easily accessible by |
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| 34 | 34 | | the public until the second anniversary of the date the |
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| 35 | 35 | | governmental entity posted the disclosure. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) The governing body of a political subdivision that does |
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| 37 | 37 | | not maintain an Internet website shall post each disclosure in each |
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| 38 | 38 | | location at which the political subdivision posts public notices |
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| 39 | 39 | | regarding the political subdivision's budget. A disclosure |
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| 40 | 40 | | described by this subsection shall remain accessible to the public |
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| 41 | 41 | | after posting at the main office of the political subdivision until |
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| 42 | 42 | | the second anniversary of the date the governing body posted the |
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| 43 | 43 | | disclosure. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 561, Government Code, as added by this |
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| 45 | 45 | | Act, applies beginning September 1, 2015. This Act does not require |
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| 46 | 46 | | the disclosure of compensation paid before that date. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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