Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1420 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R12466 CJD-D
2	2	By: Nichols S.B. No. 1420
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the use by a county, municipality, or school district of
10	10	public money for lobbying activities.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Chapter 556, Government Code, is amended by
13	13	adding Section 556.0056 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 556.0056. RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING ACTIVITIES BY
15	15	COUNTIES, MUNICIPALITIES, AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS. (a) The governing
16	16	body of a county, municipality, or school district may not spend
17	17	public money or provide compensation in any manner to directly or
18	18	indirectly influence or attempt to influence the outcome of any
19	19	legislation pending before the legislature. This subsection does
20	20	not prevent:
21	21	(1) an officer or employee of a county, municipality,
22	22	or school district from providing information for a member of the
23	23	legislature or appearing before a legislative committee;
24	24	(2) an elected officer of a county, municipality, or
25	25	school district from advocating for or against or otherwise
26	26	influencing or attempting to influence the outcome of legislation
27	27	pending before the legislature, including testifying before a
28	28	legislative committee;
29	29	(3) an employee of a county, municipality, or school
30	30	district from advocating for or against or otherwise influencing or
31	31	attempting to influence the outcome of legislation pending before
32	32	the legislature if those actions would not require a person to
33	33	register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305;
34	34	(4) a county, municipality, or school district from
35	35	reimbursing an officer or employee of the county, municipality, or
36	36	school district for direct travel expenses incurred by the officer
37	37	or employee for engaging in an activity authorized by Subdivision
38	38	(1), (2), or (3);
39	39	(5) a county, municipality, or school district from
40	40	paying fees or dues or providing compensation in any manner to a
41	41	nonprofit state association or organization that advocates for or
42	42	against or otherwise influences or attempts to influence the
43	43	outcome of legislation pending before the legislature on the
44	44	collective behalf of counties, municipalities, or school districts
45	45	in this state, unless the association or organization pays or
46	46	otherwise compensates an individual required to register as a
47	47	lobbyist under Chapter 305 for a purpose described by this
48	48	subdivision, not including a full-time employee of the association
49	49	or organization; or
50	50	(6) a county, municipality, or school district from
51	51	spending public money or providing compensation to an individual
52	52	required to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305 for the purpose
53	53	of influencing or attempting to influence the outcome of
54	54	legislation pending before the legislature related to the military,
55	55	military service members, or military veterans.
56	56	(b) A county, municipality, or school district may not
57	57	establish a nonprofit association or organization that advocates
58	58	for or against or otherwise influences or attempts to influence the
59	59	outcome of legislation pending before the legislature on the behalf
60	60	of a county, municipality, or school district if the association or
61	61	organization takes an action described by Subsection (a)(5).
62	62	(c) If a county, municipality, or school district engages in
63	63	an activity prohibited by Subsection (a) or (b), a taxpayer or
64	64	resident of the county, municipality, or school district is
65	65	entitled to appropriate injunctive relief to prevent any further
66	66	activity prohibited by those subsections.
67	67	(d) A taxpayer or resident who prevails in an action under
68	68	Subsection (c) is entitled to recover from the county,
69	69	municipality, or school district the taxpayer's or resident's
70	70	reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in bringing the
71	71	action.
72	72	SECTION 2. Section 556.0056, Government Code, as added by
73	73	this Act, applies only to:
74	74	(1) an expenditure or payment of money or provision of
75	75	some other compensation by a county, municipality, or school
76	76	district that is made on or after September 1, 2025; and
77	77	(2) the establishment of a nonprofit association or
78	78	organization that takes an action described by Subsection (a)(5) of
79	79	that section on or after September 1, 2025.
80	80	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.