| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 2626 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | relating to the availability on the Internet of certain reports of |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | political contributions and expenditures. |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Section 254.0401, Election Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | adding Subsections (b), (e-1), and (h) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | (b) The clerk or secretary of a political subdivision's |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | governing body or, if the governing body does not have a clerk or |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | secretary, the governing body's presiding officer shall make a |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | report filed with the political subdivision by a candidate, |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | officeholder, or specific-purpose committee under this subchapter |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | available to the public on the political subdivision's Internet |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | website not later than the 10th business day after the date the |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | report is received. |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | (e-1) Before making a report available on the Internet as |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | required by Subsection (b), the authority with whom the report is |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | filed may remove each portion, other than city, state, and zip code, |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | of the address of a person listed as having made a political |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | contribution to the person filing the report. The address |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | information removed must remain available on the report maintained |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | in the authority's office. |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (h) A report made available on an Internet website under |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | this section must be accessible on that website until the fifth |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | anniversary of the date the report is first made available. |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 2. The following provisions of the Election Code |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | are repealed: |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (1) Sections 254.0401(a-1) and (c); and |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (2) Section 254.04011. |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | a report under Chapter 254, Election Code, that is required to be |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | filed on or after the effective date of this Act. A report under |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | that chapter that is required to be filed before the effective date |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the report |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | is required to be filed, and the former law is continued in effect |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | for that purpose. |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2626 was passed by the House on May |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 12, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 1, 2 present, not |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | voting. |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | ______________________________ |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2626 was passed by the Senate on May |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | ______________________________ |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | Secretary of the Senate |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | Date |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | _____________________ |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | Governor |
|---|