Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB344 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4304 MZM-F
2	2	By: Eckhardt S.B. No. 344
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the content of detailed reports filed by lobbyists and
10	10	to monetary limits on expenditures by lobbyists.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 305.0061, Government Code, is amended by
13	13	amending Subsections (a), (b), and (c) and adding Subsections (h)
14	14	and (i) to read as follows:
15	15	(a) If a registrant or a person on the registrant's behalf
16	16	and with the registrant's consent or ratification makes
17	17	expenditures that exceed 30 [60] percent of the amount of the
18	18	legislative per diem in a day for transportation or lodging for a
19	19	member of the legislative or executive branch or for the immediate
20	20	family of a member of the legislative or executive branch, the
21	21	registrant shall also state the following on the report filed under
22	22	Section 305.006:
23	23	(1) the name of the member of the legislative or
24	24	executive branch in whose behalf the expenditure is made;
25	25	(2) the place and date of the transportation or
26	26	lodging; and
27	27	(3) the purpose of the transportation or lodging.
28	28	(b) If a registrant or a person on the registrant's behalf
29	29	and with the registrant's consent or ratification makes
30	30	expenditures that exceed 30 [60] percent of the amount of the
31	31	legislative per diem in a day for food and beverages for a member of
32	32	the legislative or executive branch or for the immediate family of a
33	33	member of the legislative or executive branch or makes expenditures
34	34	that exceed 30 [60] percent of the amount of the legislative per
35	35	diem in a day for entertainment for a member of the legislative or
36	36	executive branch or for the immediate family of a member of the
37	37	legislative or executive branch, the registrant shall also state
38	38	the following on the report filed under Section 305.006:
39	39	(1) the name of the member of the legislative or
40	40	executive branch in whose behalf the expenditure is made;
41	41	(2) the place and date of the expenditure; and
42	42	(3) the amount of the expenditure by the appropriate
43	43	category of the amount, as determined by the commission.
44	44	(c) If a registrant or a person on the registrant's behalf
45	45	and with the registrant's consent or ratification gives to a member
46	46	of the legislative or executive branch, or to the immediate family
47	47	of a member of the legislative or executive branch, a gift or an
48	48	award or memento, the value of which exceeds $50 per gift, award, or
49	49	memento, the registrant shall also state the following on the
50	50	report filed under Section 305.006:
51	51	(1) the name of the member of the legislative or
52	52	executive branch in whose behalf the expenditure is made;
53	53	(2) a general description of the gift, award, or
54	54	memento; and
55	55	(3) the amount of the expenditure by the appropriate
56	56	category of the amount, as determined by the commission.
57	57	(h) If more than one registrant or persons acting on behalf
58	58	of more than one registrant and with each registrant's consent or
59	59	ratification collaborate to make a joint expenditure described by
60	60	Section 305.006(b), each registrant shall report the total amount
61	61	of the shared expenditure as required by Subsection (a) or (b), if
62	62	the total amount of the shared expenditure exceeds the amount
63	63	provided under Subsection (a) or (b).
64	64	(i) If more than one registrant or persons acting on behalf
65	65	of more than one registrant and with each registrant's consent or
66	66	ratification collaborate to make a joint expenditure described by
67	67	Section 305.006(b), each registrant shall report the total value of
68	68	the shared expenditure as required by Subsection (c), if the total
69	69	value of the shared expenditure exceeds the amount provided under
70	70	Subsection (c).
71	71	SECTION 2. Section 305.024(a), Government Code, as amended
72	72	by Chapters 92 (S.B. 1011) and 206 (H.B. 1508), Acts of the 79th
73	73	Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, is reenacted and amended to
74	74	read as follows:
75	75	(a) Except as provided by Section 305.025, a person
76	76	registered under Section 305.005 or a person on the registrant's
77	77	behalf and with the registrant's consent or ratification may not
78	78	offer, confer, or agree to confer:
79	79	(1) to an individual described by Section
80	80	305.0062(a)(1), (2), (3), (4), or (5):
81	81	(A) a loan, including the guarantee or
82	82	endorsement of a loan; or
83	83	(B) a gift of cash or a negotiable instrument as
84	84	described by Section 3.104, Business & Commerce Code; or
85	85	(2) to an individual described by Section
86	86	305.0062(a)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), or (7):
87	87	(A) an expenditure for transportation and
88	88	lodging;
89	89	(B) an expenditure or series of expenditures for
90	90	entertainment that in the aggregate exceed $500 in a calendar year;
91	91	(C) an expenditure or series of expenditures for
92	92	gifts that in the aggregate exceed $500 in a calendar year;
93	93	(D) an expenditure for an award or memento that
94	94	exceeds $500; or
95	95	(E) an expenditure described by Section
96	96	305.006(b)(1), (2), (3), or (6) unless:
97	97	(i) [(A)] the registrant is present at the
98	98	event; or
99	99	(ii) [(B)] the expenditure is for a gift of
100	100	food or beverages required to be reported under Section
101	101	305.006(b)(4) in accordance with Section 305.0061(e-1).
102	102	SECTION 3. Section 305.024, Government Code, is amended by
103	103	adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
104	104	(d) The registrant shall notify a member of the legislative
105	105	or executive branch when the registrant has reported, as to that
106	106	member of the legislative or executive branch, expenditures that,
107	107	in the aggregate, equal the monetary limits for expenditures under
108	108	Subsection (a)(2).
109	109	SECTION 4. Section 305.031(a), Government Code, is amended
110	110	to read as follows:
111	111	(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally
112	112	or knowingly violates a provision of this chapter other than
113	113	Section 305.022, 305.024(d), or 305.028. An offense under this
114	114	subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.
115	115	SECTION 5. Section 305.024(c), Government Code, is
116	116	repealed.
117	117	SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
118	118	a gift, award, or memento given to or expenditures for
119	119	transportation, lodging, food, beverages, or entertainment made
120	120	for a member of the legislative or executive branch or the immediate
121	121	family of a member of the legislative or executive branch on or
122	122	after the effective date of this Act. A gift, award, or memento
123	123	given to or an expenditure for transportation, lodging, food,
124	124	beverages, or entertainment made for a member of the legislative or
125	125	executive branch or the immediate family of a member of the
126	126	legislative or executive branch before the effective date of this
127	127	Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the gift, award, or
128	128	memento was given, or the date the expenditure was made, and the
129	129	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
130	130	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect January 12, 2027.