By:  Madden, et al.                                               H.B. No. 999


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to electronic reporting of political contributions and expenditures. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 254.036(c), Election Code, is amended to read as follows: (c) A candidate, officeholder, or political committee that is required to file reports with the commission may file reports that comply with Subsection (a) if the candidate, officeholder, or campaign treasurer of the committee files with the commission an affidavit stating that the candidate, officeholder, or committee, an agent of the candidate, officeholder, or committee, or a person with whom the candidate, officeholder, or committee contracts does not use computer equipment to keep the current records of political contributions, political expenditures, or persons making political contributions to the candidate, officeholder, or committee. An affidavit under this subsection must be filed with each report filed under Subsection (a). The affidavit must include a statement that the candidate, officeholder, or political committee understands that if the candidate, officeholder, or committee, a consultant of the candidate, officeholder, or committee, or a person with whom the candidate, officeholder, or committee contracts uses computer equipment for a purpose described by this subsection, the candidate, officeholder, or committee is required to file reports under Subsection (b). The commission shall convert to an electronic format any report filed with the commission under this chapter that is not required to be filed electronically under this subsection. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or Section 251.003, a report filed under this chapter with the commission that is not required to be filed electronically under this subsection must be accompanied by an amount determined by the commission as sufficient to generate additional revenue necessary to implement this subsection. SECTION 2. Section 254.0401(b), Election Code, is amended to read as follows: (b) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the commission may not make a report filed with the commission under Section 254.036(b) for a reporting deadline by any candidate for a particular office or by a specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing only one candidate for a particular office available to the public on the Internet until each candidate for that office and each specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing only one candidate for that office, other than a candidate or committee to which Section 254.036 [254.036(c) or] (d) applies, has filed a report for that reporting deadline. Regardless of whether each candidate for a particular office and each specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing only one candidate for that office has filed a report for a filing deadline, the commission shall make each report in connection with that office available on the Internet and by any other electronic means on: (1) the 21st day after the date of the filing deadline, for a report other than a report required to be filed under Section 254.064(c); or (2) the fourth day after the date of the filing deadline, for a report required to be filed under Section 254.064(c). SECTION 3. For purposes of this Act, an officeholder or committee that was subject to Section 254.036(c), Election Code, as that section existed immediately before the effective date of this Act, may continue to file reports in the manner required by that section until the officeholder or committee is no longer required to file reports with the commission, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003, and applies only to a report filed under Chapter 254, Election Code, on or after that date.