Bill Text: TX HCR76 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting the establishment of a select interim committee to undertake a comprehensive review of financial disclosures made by public officials.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-03-21 - Referred to Elections [HCR76 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HCR76-Introduced.html
83R12943 CBE-D | ||
By: Howard | H.C.R. No. 76 |
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WHEREAS, To sustain and strengthen faith and confidence in | ||
state government, Texas has established standards of conduct that | ||
require state officers and employees to remain free from direct or | ||
indirect interests that conflict with the proper discharge of their | ||
duties; and | ||
WHEREAS, It has been two decades since the last comprehensive | ||
review of these disclosure requirements, and given the pace of | ||
economic and technological change in that time period, there is the | ||
potential that gaps in reporting requirements exist; and | ||
WHEREAS, An interim committee composed of representatives of | ||
the public as well as elected officials would provide an | ||
appropriate forum to address concerns and make recommendations to | ||
ensure that the goal of meaningful disclosure is achieved, that | ||
state government continues to operate with transparency, and that | ||
the public has ready access to disclosure filings; now, therefore, | ||
be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house | ||
of representatives to create a select interim committee to | ||
undertake a comprehensive review of financial disclosures made by | ||
public officials; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the committee study and review the procedures | ||
and effects of the filing of personal financial statements with the | ||
Texas Ethics Commission or other authorities under Chapter 572, | ||
Government Code, or other similar law; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the review include consideration of: (1) the | ||
purposes of the current disclosure statutes and whether the | ||
statutes accomplish those purposes, (2) the effectiveness of the | ||
current disclosure scheme, and (3) what changes, if any, should be | ||
made to more effectively accomplish the purposes of personal | ||
financial disclosures; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the committee be composed of 14 members as | ||
follows: four members appointed by the governor, including one | ||
executive director of a state agency, one board member of a state | ||
agency, and two representatives of local jurisdictions subject to | ||
disclosure regulations established under state law; five members | ||
appointed by the lieutenant governor, including two senators, one | ||
of whom shall serve as a co-chair, one representative of an open | ||
government advocacy organization, one representative of an | ||
organization representing professional media, and one member of the | ||
public; and five members appointed by the speaker of the house of | ||
representatives, including two state representatives, one of whom | ||
will serve as a co-chair, one representative of an open government | ||
advocacy organization, one representative of an organization | ||
representing professional media, and one member of the public; and, | ||
be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the committee shall convene at the call of the | ||
presiding officers and shall have all other powers and duties | ||
provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the senate | ||
and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter 301, | ||
Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees | ||
on administration; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including | ||
findings and recommendations, to the lieutenant governor, the | ||
speaker of the house of representatives, and the governor not later | ||
than January 15, 2015. |