Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4211 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R13773 ATP-D
2	2	By: Rose H.B. No. 4211
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the electronic filing of reports of political
8	8	contributions and expenditures with populous counties.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Sections 254.036(a), (b), (c), and (f), Election
11	11	Code, are amended to read as follows:
12	12	(a) Each report filed under this chapter to which Subsection
13	13	(b) does not apply [with an authority other than the commission]
14	14	must be in a format prescribed by the commission. A report filed
15	15	with the commission that is not required to be filed by computer
16	16	diskette, modem, or other means of electronic transfer must be on a
17	17	form prescribed by the commission and written in black ink or typed
18	18	with black typewriter ribbon or, if the report is a computer
19	19	printout, the printout must conform to the same format and paper
20	20	size as the form prescribed by the commission.
21	21	(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c) or (e), each report
22	22	filed under this chapter with the commission or the county clerk of
23	23	a county with a population of 800,000 or more must be filed by
24	24	computer diskette, modem, or other means of electronic transfer,
25	25	using computer software provided by the commission or computer
26	26	software that meets commission specifications for a standard file
27	27	format.
28	28	(c) A candidate, officeholder, or political committee to
29	29	whom Subsection (b) applies [that is required to file reports with
30	30	the commission] may file reports that comply with Subsection (a)
31	31	if:
32	32	(1) the candidate, officeholder, or campaign
33	33	treasurer of the committee files with the authority with whom
34	34	reports under this chapter are filed [commission] an affidavit
35	35	stating that the candidate, officeholder, or committee, an agent of
36	36	the candidate, officeholder, or committee, or a person with whom
37	37	the candidate, officeholder, or committee contracts does not use
38	38	computer equipment to keep the current records of political
39	39	contributions, political expenditures, or persons making political
40	40	contributions to the candidate, officeholder, or committee; and
41	41	(2) the candidate, officeholder, or committee does
42	42	not, in a calendar year, accept political contributions that in the
43	43	aggregate exceed $20,000 or make political expenditures that in the
44	44	aggregate exceed $20,000.
45	45	(f) In prescribing the format of a report filed under
46	46	Subsection (a) [this chapter with an authority other than the
47	47	commission], the commission shall ensure that:
48	48	(1) a report may be filed:
49	49	(A) by first class United States mail or common
50	50	or contract carrier;
51	51	(B) by personal delivery; or
52	52	(C) by electronic filing, if the authority with
53	53	whom the report is required to be filed has adopted rules and
54	54	procedures to provide for the electronic filing of the report and
55	55	the report is filed in accordance with those rules and procedures;
56	56	and
57	57	(2) an authority with whom a report is electronically
58	58	filed issues an electronic receipt for the report to the person
59	59	filing the report.
60	60	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.