H.B. No. 2626
AN ACT
relating to the availability on the Internet of certain reports of
political contributions and expenditures.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 254.0401, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (b), (e-1), and (h) to read as follows:
(b) The clerk or secretary of a political subdivision's
governing body or, if the governing body does not have a clerk or
secretary, the governing body's presiding officer shall make a
report filed with the political subdivision by a candidate,
officeholder, or specific-purpose committee under this subchapter
available to the public on the political subdivision's Internet
website not later than the 10th business day after the date the
report is received.
(e-1) Before making a report available on the Internet as
required by Subsection (b), the authority with whom the report is
filed may remove each portion, other than city, state, and zip code,
of the address of a person listed as having made a political
contribution to the person filing the report. The address
information removed must remain available on the report maintained
in the authority's office.
(h) A report made available on an Internet website under
this section must be accessible on that website until the fifth
anniversary of the date the report is first made available.
SECTION 2. The following provisions of the Election Code
are repealed:
(1) Sections 254.0401(a-1) and (c); and
(2) Section 254.04011.
SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
a report under Chapter 254, Election Code, that is required to be
filed on or after the effective date of this Act. A report under
that chapter that is required to be filed before the effective date
of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the report
is required to be filed, and the former law is continued in effect
for that purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 2626 was passed by the House on May
12, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 1, 2 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 2626 was passed by the Senate on May
24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor