Bill Text: TX HB310 | 2025 | 89th Legislature 2nd Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the making and acceptance of political contributions during a special legislative session.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-08-29 - Filed [HB310 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB310-Introduced.html
| By: Johnson | H.B. No. 310 | |
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| relating to the making and acceptance of political contributions | ||
| during a special legislative session. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. The heading to Section 253.034, Election Code, | ||
| is amended to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 253.034. RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS DURING AND | ||
| FOLLOWING [ |
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| SECTION 2. Section 253.034, Election Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsections (b) and (c) to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| (a-1) During the period beginning on the date a special | ||
| legislative session convenes and continuing through the date of | ||
| final adjournment of the special legislative session, a person may | ||
| not knowingly make a political contribution to: | ||
| (1) a statewide officeholder; | ||
| (2) a member of the legislature whose term does not | ||
| expire in January of the next odd-numbered year; or | ||
| (3) a specific-purpose committee for supporting, | ||
| opposing, or assisting a person described by Subdivision (1) or | ||
| (2). | ||
| (b) A person to which Subsection (a) or (a-1) applies | ||
| [ |
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| knowingly accept a political contribution, and shall refuse a | ||
| political contribution that is received, during an applicable [ |
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| period prescribed by those subsections [ |
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| political contribution that is received and refused during that | ||
| period shall be returned to the contributor not later than the 30th | ||
| day after the date of receipt. A contribution made by United States | ||
| mail or by common or contract carrier is not considered received | ||
| during that period if it was properly addressed and placed with | ||
| postage or carrier charges prepaid or prearranged in the mail or | ||
| delivered to the contract carrier before the beginning of the | ||
| period. The date indicated by the post office cancellation mark or | ||
| the common or contract carrier documents is considered to be the | ||
| date the contribution was placed in the mail or delivered to the | ||
| common or contract carrier unless proven otherwise. | ||
| (c) This section does not apply to a political contribution | ||
| that was made and accepted with the intent that it be used: | ||
| (1) in an election held or ordered during a [ |
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| period prescribed by Subsection (a) or (a-1) in which the person | ||
| accepting the contribution is a candidate if the contribution was | ||
| made after the person appointed a campaign treasurer with the | ||
| appropriate authority and before the person was sworn in for that | ||
| office; | ||
| (2) to defray expenses incurred in connection with an | ||
| election contest; or | ||
| (3) by a person who holds a state office or a member of | ||
| the legislature if the person or member was defeated at the general | ||
| election held immediately before the session is convened or by a | ||
| specific-purpose political committee that supports or assists only | ||
| that person or member. | ||
| SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to | ||
| a political contribution made on or after the effective date of this | ||
| Act. A political contribution made before the effective date of | ||
| this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the | ||
| contribution was made, and the former law is continued in effect for | ||
| that purpose. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
