BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 998 By: Alvarado General Investigating & Ethics Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Interested parties note that some cities are considering implementing electronic filing systems for campaign finance reports and the parties express concern regarding the potential misuse or misinterpretation of electronic data relating to a report that is temporarily saved for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed. The goal of H.B. 998 is to prevent such misuse or misinterpretation by providing for the confidentiality of such temporarily saved data. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 998 amends the Election Code to make confidential and prohibit from disclosure electronic data relating to a campaign finance report saved in a temporary storage location of the authority with whom the report is filed for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed. The bill makes the information disclosed in the filed report, after the report is filed with the appropriate authority, public information to the extent provided by statutory provisions relating to the regulation of political funds and campaigns. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2017.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 998
By: Alvarado
General Investigating & Ethics
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 998
By: Alvarado
General Investigating & Ethics
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Interested parties note that some cities are considering implementing electronic filing systems for campaign finance reports and the parties express concern regarding the potential misuse or misinterpretation of electronic data relating to a report that is temporarily saved for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed. The goal of H.B. 998 is to prevent such misuse or misinterpretation by providing for the confidentiality of such temporarily saved data.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS H.B. 998 amends the Election Code to make confidential and prohibit from disclosure electronic data relating to a campaign finance report saved in a temporary storage location of the authority with whom the report is filed for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed. The bill makes the information disclosed in the filed report, after the report is filed with the appropriate authority, public information to the extent provided by statutory provisions relating to the regulation of political funds and campaigns.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2017.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties note that some cities are considering implementing electronic filing systems for campaign finance reports and the parties express concern regarding the potential misuse or misinterpretation of electronic data relating to a report that is temporarily saved for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed. The goal of H.B. 998 is to prevent such misuse or misinterpretation by providing for the confidentiality of such temporarily saved data.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 998 amends the Election Code to make confidential and prohibit from disclosure electronic data relating to a campaign finance report saved in a temporary storage location of the authority with whom the report is filed for later retrieval and editing before the report is filed. The bill makes the information disclosed in the filed report, after the report is filed with the appropriate authority, public information to the extent provided by statutory provisions relating to the regulation of political funds and campaigns.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2017.