| 1 | 1 | | 85R13050 GRM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 1648 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the public availability of certain information related |
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| 8 | 8 | | to criminal conduct in connection with an election. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 31.006, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as |
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| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the [The] |
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| 14 | 14 | | documents submitted under Subsection (a) are not considered public |
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| 15 | 15 | | information until: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) the secretary of state makes a determination that |
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| 17 | 17 | | the complaint received does not warrant an investigation; or |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) if referred to the attorney general, the attorney |
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| 19 | 19 | | general has completed the investigation or has made a determination |
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| 20 | 20 | | that the complaint referred does not warrant an investigation. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (c) The following information related to a complaint |
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| 22 | 22 | | referred under Subsection (a) is considered public information: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) the type of alleged criminal conduct referred to |
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| 24 | 24 | | the attorney general by the secretary of state; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) the date a complaint is referred to the attorney |
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| 26 | 26 | | general and the date an investigation is completed by the attorney |
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| 27 | 27 | | general, identified by the type of alleged criminal conduct; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) the number of complaints: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) referred to the attorney general by the |
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| 30 | 30 | | secretary of state; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) under investigation by the attorney general; |
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| 32 | 32 | | and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (C) dismissed by the attorney general. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 35 | 35 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 36 | 36 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 37 | 37 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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