| 1 | 1 | | 86R8604 BRG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Creighton S.B. No. 2329 |
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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 authorization of expenditures for lobbying |
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| 8 | 8 | | activities by certain political subdivisions and other public |
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| 9 | 9 | | entities. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 556, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | adding Section 556.0056 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 556.0056. USE OF PUBLIC MONEY FOR LOBBYING ACTIVITIES. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a) In this section: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Political subdivision" means: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (A) an appraisal district; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (B) a regional mobility authority; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (C) a transit authority; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (D) a regional tollway authority; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (E) a community college district; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (F) a river authority; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (G) any other political subdivision that imposes |
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| 23 | 23 | | a tax; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (H) any other political subdivision or special |
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| 25 | 25 | | district that has the authority to issue bonds, including revenue |
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| 26 | 26 | | bonds; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (I) any other special purpose district. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) "Public entity" means: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) an institution of higher education, as |
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| 30 | 30 | | defined by Section 61.003, Education Code; or |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) a publicly owned utility. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a political |
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| 33 | 33 | | subdivision or a public entity may not spend public money to |
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| 34 | 34 | | directly or indirectly influence or attempt to influence the |
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| 35 | 35 | | outcome of any legislation pending before the legislature. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (c) A political subdivision or a public entity may spend |
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| 37 | 37 | | public money to directly or indirectly influence or attempt to |
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| 38 | 38 | | influence the outcome of any legislation pending before the |
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| 39 | 39 | | legislature only if the expenditure is authorized by a majority |
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| 40 | 40 | | vote of the governing body of the political subdivision or public |
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| 41 | 41 | | entity in an open meeting of the governing body. The expenditure |
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| 42 | 42 | | must be voted on by the governing body as a stand-alone item on the |
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| 43 | 43 | | agenda at the meeting. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (d) If a political subdivision or public entity does not |
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| 45 | 45 | | comply with the requirements of this section, an interested party |
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| 46 | 46 | | is entitled to appropriate injunctive relief to prevent any further |
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| 47 | 47 | | activity in violation of this section. For purposes of this |
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| 48 | 48 | | subsection, "interested party" means a person who: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (1) is a taxpayer of a political subdivision or public |
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| 50 | 50 | | entity; or |
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| 51 | 51 | | (2) is served by or receives services from a political |
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| 52 | 52 | | subdivision or public entity. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 2. Section 556.0056, Government Code, as added by |
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| 54 | 54 | | this Act, applies only to an expenditure or payment of public money |
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| 55 | 55 | | by a political subdivision or public entity that is made on or after |
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| 56 | 56 | | September 1, 2019. An expenditure or payment of public money by a |
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| 57 | 57 | | political subdivision or public entity that is made before |
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| 58 | 58 | | September 1, 2019, is governed by the law in effect on the date the |
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| 59 | 59 | | expenditure or payment is made, and the former law is continued in |
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| 60 | 60 | | effect for that purpose. |
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| 61 | 61 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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