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.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
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. |