Bill Text: TX HJR54 | 2017 | 85th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment prohibiting the governor or a specific-purpose committee for supporting or assisting the governor from accepting political contributions during a special legislative session.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-08-10 - Left pending in committee [HJR54 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HJR54-Introduced.html
| 85S12252 MK-D | ||
| By: Moody | H.J.R. No. 54 | |
|
|
||
| proposing a constitutional amendment prohibiting the governor or a | ||
| specific-purpose committee for supporting or assisting the | ||
| governor from accepting political contributions during a special | ||
| legislative session. | ||
| BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Article IV, Texas Constitution, is amended by | ||
| adding Section 8a to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 8a. (a) During the period beginning on the date a | ||
| special legislative session called by the governor under Section | ||
| 40, Article III, of this constitution convenes and continuing | ||
| through the date of final adjournment of the special legislative | ||
| session, the governor or a specific-purpose committee for | ||
| supporting or assisting the governor may not knowingly accept a | ||
| political contribution and shall refuse a political contribution | ||
| that is received during that period. | ||
| (b) A political contribution that is received and refused | ||
| during the period described by Subsection (a) of this section 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 the period | ||
| prescribed by Subsection (a) of this section 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 the governor if the governor was defeated at the | ||
| general election held immediately before the session is convened or | ||
| by a specific-purpose committee that only supports or assists the | ||
| governor. | ||
| (d) In this section, "political contribution" and | ||
| "specific-purpose committee" have the meanings assigned by Section | ||
| 251.001, Election Code, or a successor statute. | ||
| SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be | ||
| submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 7, 2017. | ||
| The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the | ||
| proposition: "The constitutional amendment prohibiting the | ||
| governor or a specific-purpose committee for supporting or | ||
| assisting the governor from accepting political contributions | ||
| during a special legislative session." | ||
