Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1695 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R10095 CJD-F
2	2	By: Hall S.B. No. 1695
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the use by a political subdivision of money for lobbying
10	10	and certain other activities.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 89.002, Local Government Code, is
13	13	transferred to Chapter 556, Government Code, redesignated as
14	14	Section 556.0056, Government Code, and amended to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 556.0056 [89.002]. LOBBYING ACTIVITIES; ASSOCIATIONS
16	16	AND ORGANIZATIONS [STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES]. (a) This
17	17	section applies to political subdivision, including a regional
18	18	mobility authority, toll road authority, and transit authority.
19	19	(b) The governing body of a political subdivision may not
20	20	spend public money or provide compensation of any kind to directly
21	21	or indirectly influence or attempt to influence the outcome of
22	22	legislation pending before the legislature. This subsection does
23	23	not prevent:
24	24	(1) an officer or employee of a political subdivision
25	25	from providing information for a member of the legislature or
26	26	appearing before a legislative committee at the request of the
27	27	member of the legislature or the committee;
28	28	(2) an elected officer of a political subdivision from
29	29	advocating for or against or otherwise influencing or attempting to
30	30	influence the outcome of legislation pending before the legislature
31	31	while acting as an officer of the political subdivision; or
32	32	(3) an employee of a political subdivision from
33	33	advocating for or against or otherwise influencing or attempting to
34	34	influence the outcome of legislation pending before the legislature
35	35	if those actions would not require a person to register as a
36	36	lobbyist under Chapter 305.
37	37	(c) The governing body of a political subdivision
38	38	[commissioners court] may not spend [, in the name of the county,]
39	39	money or provide compensation of any kind to an association or
40	40	organization [from the county's general fund] for membership fees
41	41	and dues or for any other purpose unless [of a nonprofit state
42	42	association of counties if]:
43	43	(1) a majority of the governing body [court] votes to
44	44	approve membership in the association or organization;
45	45	(2) the association or organization exists for the
46	46	betterment of local [county] government and the benefit of all
47	47	local [county] officials;
48	48	(3) the association or organization is not affiliated
49	49	with a labor organization;
50	50	(4) neither the association or organization nor an
51	51	employee of the association or organization directly or indirectly
52	52	influences or attempts to influence the outcome of any legislation
53	53	pending before the legislature[, except that this subdivision does
54	54	not prevent a person from providing information for a member of the
55	55	legislature or appearing before a legislative committee at the
56	56	request of the committee or the member of the legislature]; and
57	57	(5) [neither] the association or organization does not
58	58	[nor an employee of the association] directly or indirectly
59	59	contribute [contributes] any money, services, or other valuable
60	60	thing to a political campaign or endorse [endorses] a candidate or
61	61	group of candidates for public office.
62	62	(d) Subsection (c)(4) does not prevent a person from
63	63	providing information for a member of the legislature or appearing
64	64	before a legislative committee at the request of the member of the
65	65	legislature or the committee.
66	66	(e) If a political subdivision engages in an activity
67	67	prohibited by Subsection (b) or if [(b) If] any association or
68	68	organization supported wholly or partly by payments of money [tax
69	69	receipts] from political subdivisions engages in an activity
70	70	described by Subsection (c)(4) [(a)(4)] or (5), a taxpayer or
71	71	resident of the [a] political subdivision that engages in the
72	72	prohibited activity or that pays fees or dues to the association or
73	73	organization is entitled to appropriate injunctive relief to
74	74	prevent any further activity prohibited by Subsection (b) or
75	75	described by Subsection (c)(4) [(a)(4)] or (5) or any further
76	76	payments of fees or dues.
77	77	(f) A taxpayer or resident who prevails in an action under
78	78	Subsection (e) is entitled to recover from the political
79	79	subdivision the taxpayer's or resident's reasonable attorney's fees
80	80	and costs incurred in bringing the action.
81	81	SECTION 2. Section 556.0056, Government Code, as
82	82	transferred, redesignated, and amended by this Act, applies only to
83	83	an expenditure or payment of money or provision of some other
84	84	compensation by a political subdivision that is made on or after
85	85	September 1, 2025. An expenditure or payment of money or provision
86	86	of some other compensation by a political subdivision that is made
87	87	before September 1, 2025, is governed by the law in effect on the
88	88	date the expenditure, payment, or provision is made, and the former
89	89	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
90	90	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
91	91	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
92	92	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
93	93	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
94	94	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.