Bill Text: TX HB756 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to restrictions on the name of a general-purpose political committee.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-04-05 - Failed to receive affirmative vote in comm. [HB756 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB756-Introduced.html
85R4287 ATP-F | ||
By: Stephenson | H.B. No. 756 |
|
||
|
||
relating to restrictions on the name of a general-purpose political | ||
committee. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Sections 252.0011(a), (b), and (c), Election | ||
Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) or (c), a person is | ||
ineligible for appointment as a campaign treasurer if: | ||
(1) the person is the campaign treasurer of a | ||
political committee that does not file a report required by Chapter | ||
254; or | ||
(2) the campaign treasurer appointment of the person | ||
was terminated under Section 252.0131(a) for violating Section | ||
252.003(e). | ||
(b) The period for which a person is ineligible under | ||
Subsection (a)(1) [ |
||
ends on the date on which the political committee in connection with | ||
which the person's ineligibility arose has filed each report | ||
required by Chapter 254 that was not timely filed or has paid all | ||
fines and penalties in connection with the failure to file the | ||
report. The period for which a person is ineligible under | ||
Subsection (a)(2) for appointment as a campaign treasurer ends on | ||
the fourth anniversary of the date the person's campaign treasurer | ||
appointment was terminated under Section 252.0131(a) for violating | ||
Section 252.003(e). | ||
(c) A person is not ineligible for appointment as a campaign | ||
treasurer under Subsection (a)(1) [ |
||
if, in any semiannual reporting period prescribed by Chapter 254: | ||
(1) the political committee in connection with which | ||
the person's ineligibility arose did not accept political | ||
contributions that in the aggregate exceed $5,000 or make political | ||
expenditures that in the aggregate exceed $5,000; and | ||
(2) the candidate who or political committee that | ||
subsequently appoints the person does not accept political | ||
contributions that in the aggregate exceed $5,000 or make political | ||
expenditures that in the aggregate exceed $5,000. | ||
SECTION 2. The heading to Section 252.003, Election Code, | ||
is amended to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 252.003. CONTENTS OF APPOINTMENT BY GENERAL-PURPOSE | ||
COMMITTEE; COMMITTEE NAME. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 252.003, Election Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: | ||
(e) The name of a general-purpose committee may not contain | ||
the name of a political party without providing on every | ||
publication disseminated by the committee a disclaimer that the | ||
committee is not affiliated in any way with the party in text not | ||
smaller than half the size of the text in which the name of the | ||
committee appears. The commission shall determine whether the name | ||
of a general-purpose committee is in violation of this prohibition | ||
and shall immediately notify the campaign treasurer of the | ||
offending committee of that determination. | ||
SECTION 4. Section 252.0131(a), Election Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(a) The commission by rule shall adopt a process by which | ||
the commission may terminate the campaign treasurer appointment of | ||
an inactive candidate or political committee that is required to | ||
file a campaign treasurer appointment with the commission and by | ||
which the commission shall terminate the campaign treasurer | ||
appointment of a general-purpose committee that violates Section | ||
252.003(e). The governing body of a political subdivision by | ||
ordinance or order may adopt a process by which the clerk or | ||
secretary, as applicable, of the political subdivision may | ||
terminate the campaign treasurer appointment of an inactive | ||
candidate or political committee that is required to file a | ||
campaign treasurer appointment with the clerk or secretary. For | ||
purposes of this section, a candidate or political committee is | ||
inactive if the candidate or committee: | ||
(1) has never filed or has ceased to file reports under | ||
Chapter 254; | ||
(2) in the case of a candidate, has not been elected to | ||
an office for which a candidate is required to file a campaign | ||
treasurer appointment with the authority who is seeking to | ||
terminate the candidate's campaign treasurer appointment; and | ||
(3) has not filed: | ||
(A) a final report under Section 254.065 or | ||
254.125; or | ||
(B) a dissolution report under Section 254.126 or | ||
254.159. | ||
SECTION 5. Not later than January 1, 2018, the Texas Ethics | ||
Commission shall determine whether the name of a general-purpose | ||
political committee that filed a campaign treasurer appointment | ||
before September 1, 2017, violates Section 252.003(e), Election | ||
Code, as added by this Act, and shall notify the campaign treasurer | ||
of the political committee of that determination. | ||
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |