Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB345 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4305 CJD-F
2	2	By: Eckhardt S.B. No. 345
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4	4
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6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the prohibition on lobbying by certain elected
10	10	officers.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 141.001, Election Code, is amended by
13	13	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (e) and (f) to read
14	14	as follows:
15	15	(a) To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or
16	16	appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must:
17	17	(1) be a United States citizen;
18	18	(2) be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the
19	19	term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as
20	20	applicable;
21	21	(3) have not been determined by a final judgment of a
22	22	court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
23	23	(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or
24	24	(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the
25	25	right to vote;
26	26	(4) have not been finally convicted of a felony from
27	27	which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from
28	28	the resulting disabilities;
29	29	(5) have resided continuously in the state for 12
30	30	months and in the territory from which the office is elected for six
31	31	months immediately preceding the following date:
32	32	(A) for a candidate whose name is to appear on a
33	33	general primary election ballot, the date of the regular filing
34	34	deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
35	35	(B) for an independent candidate, the date of the
36	36	regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place
37	37	on the ballot;
38	38	(C) for a write-in candidate, the date of the
39	39	election at which the candidate's name is written in;
40	40	(D) for a party nominee who is nominated by any
41	41	method other than by primary election, the date the nomination is
42	42	made; and
43	43	(E) for an appointee to an office, the date the
44	44	appointment is made;
45	45	(6) on the date described by Subdivision (5), be
46	46	registered to vote in the territory from which the office is
47	47	elected; [and]
48	48	(7) not be required to register as a lobbyist under
49	49	Chapter 305, Government Code; and
50	50	(8) satisfy any other eligibility requirements
51	51	prescribed by law for the office.
52	52	(e) Subsection (a)(7) does not apply to:
53	53	(1) an office of a political subdivision with a
54	54	population of 150,000 or less, other than the office of presiding
55	55	officer of the governing body of the political subdivision,
56	56	provided that the officeholder does not receive a salary or wage for
57	57	that office; or
58	58	(2) the office of the presiding officer of the
59	59	governing body of a political subdivision with a population of
60	60	50,000 or less, provided that the presiding officer does not
61	61	receive a salary or wage for that office.
62	62	(f) For purposes of Subsection (e), a presiding officer or
63	63	other officeholder is not considered to have received a salary or
64	64	wage if the officeholder refuses to accept a salary or wage offered
65	65	or budgeted for that office.
66	66	SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 305, Government Code, is
67	67	amended by adding Section 305.0031 to read as follows:
68	68	Sec. 305.0031. REGISTRATION BY CERTAIN ELECTED OFFICERS
69	69	PROHIBITED. (a) An individual may not register under this chapter
70	70	if the individual is a:
71	71	(1) member of Congress;
72	72	(2) member of the legislature; or
73	73	(3) statewide officeholder.
74	74	(b) An individual's registration under this chapter expires
75	75	on the date the individual takes an office described by Subsection
76	76	(a).
77	77	SECTION 3. Chapter 601, Government Code, is amended by
78	78	adding Section 601.010 to read as follows:
79	79	Sec. 601.010. REGISTRATION AS LOBBYIST BY ELECTED OFFICER
80	80	PROHIBITED. (a) An individual may not qualify for a public
81	81	elective office if the individual is required to register as a
82	82	lobbyist under Chapter 305.
83	83	(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to:
84	84	(1) an office for which the federal or state
85	85	constitution prescribes exclusive qualification requirements;
86	86	(2) an office of a political subdivision with a
87	87	population of 150,000 or less, other than the office of presiding
88	88	officer of the governing body of the political subdivision,
89	89	provided that the officeholder does not receive a salary or wage for
90	90	that office; or
91	91	(3) the office of the presiding officer of the
92	92	governing body of a political subdivision with a population of
93	93	50,000 or less, provided that the presiding officer does not
94	94	receive a salary or wage for that office.
95	95	(c) For purposes of Subsection (b), a presiding officer or
96	96	other officeholder is not considered to have received a salary or
97	97	wage if the officeholder refuses to accept a salary or wage offered
98	98	or budgeted for that office.
99	99	SECTION 4. Section 141.001(a), Election Code, as amended by
100	100	this Act, and Section 601.010, Government Code, as added by this
101	101	Act, apply only to the eligibility and qualification requirements
102	102	for a candidate or officer whose term of office will begin on or
103	103	after the effective date of this Act. The eligibility and
104	104	qualification requirements for a candidate or officer whose term of
105	105	office will begin before the effective date of this Act are governed
106	106	by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this
107	107	Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
108	108	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect January 12, 2027.