Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB464 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R2325 ATP-D
2	2	By: Anchia H.B. No. 464
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the acceptance of political contributions by a member
8	8	of the Railroad Commission of Texas and of political contributions
9	9	made in connection with the office of railroad commissioner.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 81, Natural Resources
12	12	Code, is amended by adding Section 81.010045 to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 81.010045. CERTAIN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
14	14	RESTRICTED. (a) In this section, "political committee" and
15	15	"political contribution" have the meanings assigned by Section
16	16	251.001, Election Code.
17	17	(b) A commissioner may not knowingly accept a political
18	18	contribution given or offered with the intention that it be used in
19	19	connection with a campaign for or the holding of any elective
20	20	office, including the office of commissioner, except during the
21	21	period:
22	22	(1) beginning 17 months before the date of the next
23	23	general election at which the commissioner's office is filled; and
24	24	(2) ending on the 30th day after the date of that
25	25	election.
26	26	(c) A person other than a commissioner may not knowingly
27	27	accept a political contribution given or offered with the intention
28	28	that it be used in connection with a campaign for the office of
29	29	commissioner, except:
30	30	(1) during the period:
31	31	(A) beginning 17 months before the date of the
32	32	next general election at which any commissioner's office is filled;
33	33	and
34	34	(B) ending on the 30th day after the date of that
35	35	election; or
36	36	(2) during the period beginning on the date a vacancy
37	37	in the office of commissioner occurs and ending on the date that
38	38	vacancy is filled.
39	39	(d) A commissioner may not knowingly accept a political
40	40	contribution, and shall refuse a political contribution that is
41	41	received, from a party in a contested case before the commission or
42	42	a political committee affiliated with such a party during the
43	43	period:
44	44	(1) beginning on the date notice of the hearing in the
45	45	contested case is given; and
46	46	(2) ending on:
47	47	(A) the 30th day after the date the decision in
48	48	the contested case is rendered; or
49	49	(B) if a request for rehearing is filed:
50	50	(i) the date the request is denied; or
51	51	(ii) the 30th day after the date the
52	52	decision after rehearing is rendered.
53	53	(e) A commissioner shall return a political contribution
54	54	that is received and refused under Subsection (d) not later than the
55	55	30th day after the date the commissioner received the contribution.
56	56	(f) The commission shall adopt all rules necessary to
57	57	implement Subsections (d) and (e), including rules that:
58	58	(1) direct the commission to maintain a list of the
59	59	contested cases before the commission and the parties to each case
60	60	in order to aid the commissioners in complying with those
61	61	subsections; and
62	62	(2) ensure that each notice of a hearing in a contested
63	63	case that is issued by the commission or a commissioner contains
64	64	information about the political contributions prohibited under
65	65	Subsection (d).
66	66	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.