| 1 | 1 | | 85R450 MK-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Huffines S.B. No. 638 |
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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 restrictions on legislative lobbying by a regional |
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| 8 | 8 | | mobility authority or an employee of a regional mobility authority. |
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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. Subchapter F, Chapter 370, Transportation Code, |
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| 11 | 11 | | is amended by adding Section 370.2524 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 370.2524. LEGISLATIVE LOBBYING. (a) An authority or |
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| 13 | 13 | | an employee of an authority may not use money under the authority's |
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| 14 | 14 | | control or engage in an activity to influence the passage or defeat |
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| 15 | 15 | | of legislation. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) Violation of Subsection (a) is grounds for dismissal of |
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| 17 | 17 | | an employee. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (c) This section does not prohibit an authority or an |
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| 19 | 19 | | employee of an authority from using state resources to: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) provide public information or information |
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| 21 | 21 | | responsive to a request; or |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) communicate with officers and employees of the |
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| 23 | 23 | | federal government in pursuit of federal appropriations or |
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| 24 | 24 | | programs. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (d) An authority may not spend from funds appropriated to |
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| 26 | 26 | | the department any money for the purpose of selecting, hiring, or |
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| 27 | 27 | | retaining a person required to register under Chapter 305, |
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| 28 | 28 | | Government Code, or the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Section 1601 et seq.), unless that expenditure is allowed under |
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| 30 | 30 | | state law. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. Section 370.2524, Transportation Code, as added |
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| 32 | 32 | | by this Act, applies only to an expenditure made or an activity |
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| 33 | 33 | | engaged in on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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| 34 | 34 | | expenditure made or an activity engaged in before the effective |
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| 35 | 35 | | date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the |
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| 36 | 36 | | expenditure was made or the activity was engaged in, and the former |
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| 37 | 37 | | law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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