Bill Text: TX HB370 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the availability on the Internet of personal financial statements filed by public officials.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-21 - Referred to General Investigating & Ethics [HB370 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB370-Introduced.html
| 85R670 EES-F | ||
| By: Howard | H.B. No. 370 | |
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| relating to the availability on the Internet of personal financial | ||
| statements filed by public officials. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 572.032, Government Code, is amended by | ||
| amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection (a-2) to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| (a) Financial statements filed under this subchapter are | ||
| public records. The commission shall maintain the statements in | ||
| separate alphabetical files and in a manner that is accessible to | ||
| the public during regular office hours and make the statements | ||
| available to the public on the commission's Internet website. | ||
| (a-2) The commission shall redact the home address of an | ||
| individual from a financial statement filed by the individual under | ||
| this subchapter before making the statement available to the public | ||
| on the commission's Internet website. This redaction is only for | ||
| the purpose of making the statement available on the website, and | ||
| the commission may not otherwise redact that information from the | ||
| statement. | ||
| (c) After the second anniversary of the date the individual | ||
| ceases to be a state officer, the commission may and on notification | ||
| from the former state officer shall: | ||
| (1) destroy each financial statement filed by the | ||
| state officer; and | ||
| (2) remove each financial statement filed by the state | ||
| officer from the commission's Internet website. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 145.007, Local Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: | ||
| (d) If a municipality makes financial statements filed | ||
| under this chapter available to the public on the municipality's | ||
| Internet website, the clerk or secretary of the municipality shall | ||
| redact the home address of an individual filing a statement before | ||
| making the statement available on the website. This redaction is | ||
| only for the purpose of making the statement available on the | ||
| website, and the clerk or secretary of the municipality may not | ||
| otherwise redact that information from the statement. | ||
| SECTION 3. Section 159.007, Local Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: | ||
| (d) If a county makes financial statements filed under this | ||
| subchapter available to the public on the county's Internet | ||
| website, the county clerk shall redact the home address of an | ||
| individual filing a statement before making the statement available | ||
| on the website. This redaction is only for the purpose of making | ||
| the statement available on the website, and the county clerk may not | ||
| otherwise redact that information from the statement. | ||
| SECTION 4. Subchapter B, Chapter 159, Local Government | ||
| Code, is amended by adding Section 159.0342 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 159.0342. REDACTION OF INFORMATION FROM REPORTS | ||
| AVAILABLE TO PUBLIC ON INTERNET. If a county makes reports filed | ||
| under this subchapter available to the public on the county's | ||
| Internet website, the authority with whom the report is filed shall | ||
| redact the home address of an individual filing a report before | ||
| making the report available on the website. This redaction is only | ||
| for the purpose of making the report available on the website, and | ||
| the authority with whom the report is filed may not otherwise redact | ||
| that information from the report. | ||
| SECTION 5. Section 159.055, Local Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: | ||
| (e) If a county makes financial statements filed under this | ||
| subchapter available to the public on the county's Internet | ||
| website, the county clerk shall redact the home address of an | ||
| individual filing a statement before making the statement available | ||
| on the website. This redaction is only for the purpose of making | ||
| the statement available on the website, and the county clerk may not | ||
| otherwise redact that information from the statement. | ||
| SECTION 6. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, the Texas Ethics Commission shall make the financial | ||
| statements filed under Subchapter B, Chapter 572, Government Code, | ||
| available on the commission's Internet website, as provided by the | ||
| changes in law made by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
