By: Geren H.B. No. 1585       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to matters affecting the powers and duties of the Texas   Ethics Commission.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 251, Election Code, is   amended by adding Section 251.0017 to read as follows:          Sec. 251.0017.  POLITICAL ADVERTISING RELATED TO   LEGISLATION. For purposes of Section 251.001(16), a communication   supporting or opposing legislation is considered political   advertising under that subdivision if the communication would   appear to an ordinary reader, viewer, or listener to express   support or opposition of:                (1)  a member of the legislature who authors or   sponsors the legislation; or                (2)  a member of the legislature who supports or   opposes the legislation.          SECTION 2.  Section 253.031(a), Election Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (a)  A candidate may not knowingly accept [a] campaign   contributions totaling more than $500 [contribution] or make or   authorize [a] campaign expenditures totaling more than $500   [expenditure] at a time when a campaign treasurer appointment for   the candidate is not in effect.          SECTION 3.  Section 253.035, Election Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows:          (c-1)  The prohibitions prescribed by Subsections (a) and   (b) include the personal use of a political contribution accepted   by a person as a candidate or officeholder or by a specific-purpose   committee for supporting or assisting the person as a candidate or   officeholder to settle a civil action asserting a claim against the   person as a candidate or officeholder.          SECTION 4.  Section 254.031(a), Election Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (a)  Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, each   report filed under this chapter must include:                (1)  the amount of political contributions, other than   political contributions described by Subdivision (1-a), from each   person that in the aggregate exceed $50 and that are accepted during   the reporting period by the person or committee required to file a   report under this chapter, the full name and address of the person   making the contributions, and the dates of the contributions;                (1-a)  the amount of political contributions from each   person that are made electronically and that are accepted during   the reporting period by the person or committee required to file a   report under this chapter, the full name and address of the person   making the contributions, and the dates of the contributions;                (2)  the amount of loans that are made during the   reporting period for campaign or officeholder purposes to the   person or committee required to file the report and that in the   aggregate exceed $50, the dates the loans are made, the interest   rate, the maturity date, the type of collateral for the loans, if   any, the full name and address of the person or financial   institution making the loans, the full name and address, principal   occupation, and name of the employer of each guarantor of the loans,   the amount of the loans guaranteed by each guarantor, and the   aggregate principal amount of all outstanding loans as of the last   day of the reporting period;                (3)  the amount of political expenditures that in the   aggregate exceed $100 and that are made during the reporting   period, the full name and address of the persons to whom the   expenditures are made, and the dates and purposes of the   expenditures;                (4)  the amount of each payment made during the   reporting period from a political contribution if the payment is   not a political expenditure, the full name and address of the person   to whom the payment is made, and the date and purpose of the   payment;                (5)  the total amount or a specific listing of the   political contributions of $50 or less accepted and the total   amount or a specific listing of the political expenditures of $100   or less made during the reporting period;                (6)  the total amount of all political contributions   accepted and the total amount of all political expenditures made   during the reporting period;                (7)  the name of each candidate or officeholder for   whom [who benefits from] a direct campaign expenditure was made to   support or oppose during the reporting period by the person or   committee required to file the report, and the office sought or   held, excluding a direct campaign expenditure that is made by the   principal political committee of a political party on behalf of a   slate of two or more nominees of that party;                (8)  as of the last day of a reporting period for which   the person is required to file a report, the total amount of   political contributions accepted, including interest or other   income on those contributions, maintained in one or more accounts   in which political contributions are deposited as of the last day of   the reporting period;                (9)  any credit, interest, rebate, refund,   reimbursement, or return of a deposit fee resulting from the use of   a political contribution or an asset purchased with a political   contribution that is received during the reporting period and the   amount of which exceeds $100;                (10)  any proceeds of the sale of an asset purchased   with a political contribution that is received during the reporting   period and the amount of which exceeds $100;                (11)  any investment purchased with a political   contribution that is received during the reporting period and the   amount of which exceeds $100;                (12)  any other gain from a political contribution that   is received during the reporting period and the amount of which   exceeds $100; and                (13)  the full name and address of each person from whom   an amount described by Subdivision (9), (10), (11), or (12) is   received, the date the amount is received, and the purpose for which   the amount is received.          SECTION 5.  Section 254.0401(a), Election Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (a)  The commission shall make each report filed with the   commission under Section 254.036(b) available to the public on the   Internet not later than the second business day after the date the   report is filed. The commission shall ensure the reports are   aggregated and machine-readable in a manner that allows a person to   easily navigate the information contained in the reports.          SECTION 6.  Section 305.002(6), Government Code, is amended   to read as follows:                (6)  "Legislation" means:                      (A)  a bill, resolution, amendment, nomination,   or other matter pending in either house of the legislature,   including the election of the speaker of the house of   representatives;                      (B)  any matter that is or may be the subject of   action by either house or by a legislative committee, including the   introduction, consideration, passage, defeat, approval, or veto of   the matter; or                      (C)  any matter pending in a constitutional   convention or that may be the subject of action by a constitutional   convention.          SECTION 7.  Section 305.027(e), Government Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (e)  In this section, "legislative advertising":                (1)  means a communication that supports, opposes, or   proposes legislation and that:                      (A) [(1)]  in return for consideration, is   published in a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical or is   broadcast by radio or television; or                      (B) [(2)]  appears in a pamphlet, circular,   flier, billboard or other sign, bumper sticker, button, or similar   form of written communication; and                (2)  does not include an individual communication made   by e-mail or text message but does include a mass e-mail or text   message that involves an expenditure of funds beyond the basic cost   of hardware messaging software and bandwidth.          SECTION 8.  Section 571.064(b), Government Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (b)  If a law administered and enforced by the commission   sets dollar amounts or categories of amounts as reporting   thresholds or if the commission sets those amounts, the commission   [annually] shall decennially adjust those thresholds [upward] to   the nearest multiple of $100 [$10] in accordance with the   percentage increase for the preceding 10 years [previous year] in   the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers published by the   Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of   Labor.          SECTION 9.  Section 254.036(g), Election Code, is repealed.          SECTION 10.  Section 253.035, Election Code, as amended by   this Act, applies only to the use of a political contribution that   occurs on or after the effective date of this Act. The use of a   political contribution that occurs before the effective date of   this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the use   occurred, and the former law is continued in effect for that   purpose.          SECTION 11.  Section 254.031, Election Code, as amended by   this Act, applies only to a report that is required to be filed   under Chapter 254, Election Code, on or after the effective date of   this Act.  A report that is required to be filed under that chapter   before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in   effect on the date the report is required to be filed, and the   former law is continued in effect for that purpose.          SECTION 12.  The changes in law made by this Act to Section   571.064(b), Government Code, do not affect an adjustment made by   the Texas Ethics Commission under that subsection before the   effective date of this Act. An adjustment made before the effective   date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the   adjustment was made, and the former law is continued in effect for   that purpose.          SECTION 13.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.