Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2845 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R3468 EES-D
2	2	By: Capriglione H.B. No. 2845
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the eligibility of a person to be a candidate for or
8	8	holder of a public elective office.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 141.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(a) To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or
13	13	appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must:
14	14	(1) be a United States citizen;
15	15	(2) be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the
16	16	term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as
17	17	applicable;
18	18	(3) have not been determined by a final judgment of a
19	19	court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
20	20	(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or
21	21	(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the
22	22	right to vote;
23	23	(4) have not been finally convicted of a felony from
24	24	which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from
25	25	the resulting disabilities;
26	26	(5) have resided continuously in the state for 12
27	27	months and in the territory from which the office is elected for six
28	28	months immediately preceding the following date:
29	29	(A) for a candidate whose name is to appear on a
30	30	general primary election ballot, the date of the regular filing
31	31	deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
32	32	(B) for an independent candidate, the date of the
33	33	regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place
34	34	on the ballot;
35	35	(C) for a write-in candidate, the date of the
36	36	election at which the candidate's name is written in;
37	37	(D) for a party nominee who is nominated by any
38	38	method other than by primary election, the date the nomination is
39	39	made; and
40	40	(E) for an appointee to an office, the date the
41	41	appointment is made; [and]
42	42	(6) not be required to be registered as a lobbyist
43	43	under Chapter 305, Government Code; and
44	44	(7) satisfy any other eligibility requirements
45	45	prescribed by law for the office.
46	46	SECTION 2. Chapter 601, Government Code, is amended by
47	47	adding Section 601.011 to read as follows:
48	48	Sec. 601.011. ELECTED OFFICER MAY NOT BE REGISTERED
49	49	LOBBYIST. (a) A person may not qualify for a public elective
50	50	office if the person is required to be registered as a lobbyist
51	51	under Chapter 305, Government Code.
52	52	(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to an office for which the
53	53	federal or state constitution prescribes exclusive qualification
54	54	requirements.
55	55	SECTION 3. Section 7.103(c), Education Code, is amended to
56	56	read as follows:
57	57	(c) A person who is required to register as a lobbyist under
58	58	Chapter 305, Government Code, by virtue of the person's activities
59	59	for compensation in or on behalf of a profession, business, or
60	60	association related to the operation of the board, may not [serve as
61	61	a member of the board or] act as the general counsel to the board.
62	62	SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
63	63	the eligibility and qualification requirements for a candidate or
64	64	officer whose term of office will begin on or after the effective
65	65	date of this Act. The eligibility and qualification requirements
66	66	for a candidate or officer whose term of office will begin before
67	67	the effective date of this Act are governed by the law in effect
68	68	immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former
69	69	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
70	70	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.