Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB502 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R8135 ATP-F
2	2	By: Geren H.B. No. 502
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the content of detailed reports filed by lobbyists and
8	8	to monetary limits on expenditures by lobbyists.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 305.0061, Government Code, is amended by
11	11	amending Subsections (a), (b), and (c) and adding Subsection (h) to
12	12	read as follows:
13	13	(a) If a registrant or a person on the registrant's behalf
14	14	and with the registrant's consent or ratification makes
15	15	expenditures that exceed 30 [60] percent of the amount of the
16	16	legislative per diem in a day for transportation or lodging for a
17	17	member of the legislative or executive branch or for the immediate
18	18	family of a member of the legislative or executive branch, the
19	19	registrant shall also state the following on the report filed under
20	20	Section 305.006:
21	21	(1) the name of the member of the legislative or
22	22	executive branch in whose behalf the expenditure is made;
23	23	(2) the place and date of the transportation or
24	24	lodging; and
25	25	(3) the purpose of the transportation or lodging.
26	26	(b) If a registrant or a person on the registrant's behalf
27	27	and with the registrant's consent or ratification makes
28	28	expenditures that exceed 30 [60] percent of the amount of the
29	29	legislative per diem in a day for food and beverages for a member of
30	30	the legislative or executive branch or for the immediate family of a
31	31	member of the legislative or executive branch or makes expenditures
32	32	that exceed 30 [60] percent of the amount of the legislative per
33	33	diem in a day for entertainment for a member of the legislative or
34	34	executive branch or for the immediate family of a member of the
35	35	legislative or executive branch, the registrant shall also state
36	36	the following on the report filed under Section 305.006:
37	37	(1) the name of the member of the legislative or
38	38	executive branch in whose behalf the expenditure is made;
39	39	(2) the place and date of the expenditure; and
40	40	(3) the amount of the expenditure by the appropriate
41	41	category of the amount, as determined by the commission.
42	42	(c) If a registrant or a person on the registrant's behalf
43	43	and with the registrant's consent or ratification gives to a member
44	44	of the legislative or executive branch, or to the immediate family
45	45	of a member of the legislative or executive branch, a gift or an
46	46	award or memento, the value of which exceeds $50 per gift, award, or
47	47	memento, the registrant shall also state the following on the
48	48	report filed under Section 305.006:
49	49	(1) the name of the member of the legislative or
50	50	executive branch in whose behalf the expenditure is made;
51	51	(2) a general description of the gift, award, or
52	52	memento; and
53	53	(3) the amount of the expenditure by the appropriate
54	54	category of the amount, as determined by the commission.
55	55	(h) If more than one registrant or persons acting on behalf
56	56	of more than one registrant and with each registrant's consent or
57	57	ratification collaborate to make an expenditure described by
58	58	Section 305.006(b) together, each registrant shall report the total
59	59	value of the shared expenditure as required by Subsection (a), (b),
60	60	or (c), if the total value of the shared expenditure exceeds the
61	61	amount provided under Subsection (a), (b), or (c).
62	62	SECTION 2. Section 305.024(a), Government Code, as amended
63	63	by Chapters 92 (S.B. 1011) and 206 (H.B. 1508), Acts of the 79th
64	64	Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, is reenacted and amended to
65	65	read as follows:
66	66	(a) Except as provided by Section 305.025, a person
67	67	registered under Section 305.005 or a person on the registrant's
68	68	behalf and with the registrant's consent or ratification may not
69	69	offer, confer, or agree to confer:
70	70	(1) to an individual described by Section
71	71	305.0062(a)(1), (2), (3), (4), or (5):
72	72	(A) a loan, including the guarantee or
73	73	endorsement of a loan; or
74	74	(B) a gift of cash or a negotiable instrument as
75	75	described by Section 3.104, Business & Commerce Code; or
76	76	(2) to an individual described by Section
77	77	305.0062(a)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), or (7):
78	78	(A) an expenditure for transportation and
79	79	lodging;
80	80	(B) an expenditure or series of expenditures for
81	81	entertainment that in the aggregate exceed $500 in a calendar year;
82	82	(C) an expenditure or series of expenditures for
83	83	gifts that in the aggregate exceed $500 in a calendar year;
84	84	(D) an expenditure for an award or memento that
85	85	exceeds $500; or
86	86	(E) an expenditure described by Section
87	87	305.006(b)(1), (2), (3), or (6) unless:
88	88	(i) [(A)] the registrant is present at the
89	89	event; or
90	90	(ii) [(B)] the expenditure is for a gift of
91	91	food or beverages required to be reported under Section
92	92	305.006(b)(4) in accordance with Section 305.0061(e-1).
93	93	SECTION 3. Section 305.024, Government Code, is amended by
94	94	adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
95	95	(d) The registrant shall notify a member of the legislative
96	96	or executive branch when the registrant has reported, as to that
97	97	member of the legislative or executive branch, expenditures that,
98	98	in the aggregate, equal the monetary limits for expenditures under
99	99	Subsection (a)(2).
100	100	SECTION 4. Section 305.031(a), Government Code, is amended
101	101	to read as follows:
102	102	(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally
103	103	or knowingly violates a provision of this chapter other than
104	104	Section 305.022, 305.024(d), or 305.028. An offense under this
105	105	subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.
106	106	SECTION 5. Section 305.024(c), Government Code, is
107	107	repealed.
108	108	SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
109	109	a gift, award, or memento given to or expenditures for
110	110	transportation, lodging, food, beverages, or entertainment made
111	111	for a member of the legislative or executive branch or the immediate
112	112	family of a member of the legislative or executive branch on or
113	113	after the effective date of this Act. A gift, award, or memento
114	114	given to or an expenditure for transportation, lodging, food,
115	115	beverages, or entertainment made for a member of the legislative or
116	116	executive branch or the immediate family of a member of the
117	117	legislative or executive branch before the effective date of this
118	118	Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the gift, award, or
119	119	memento was given, or the date the expenditure for transportation,
120	120	lodging, food, beverages, or entertainment was made, and the former
121	121	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
122	122	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect January 8, 2019.