HBA-CMT H.B. 1743 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1743 By: Madden County Affairs 4/1/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, a county clerk is required to mail two copies of a financial statement form to a county elected official or candidate for county office. In several instances, county officers and candidates for county office use the defense that they did not file a financial statement because they did not receive a copy of the form from the county clerk. Judicial officers may not use this defense and the clerk is not required to send judicial officers or candidates copies of the forms. Clerks should not be placed in a defensive position regarding financial statement forms. House Bill 1743 exempts the county clerk from having to mail a county candidate or officer two copies of a financial statement. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1743 amends the Local Government Code to delete the requirement that a county clerk mail two copies of the form for filing a financial statement to each person who is required to file such a statement. The bill repeals the provision that it is a defense to prosecution that if a county officer or candidate for a county office did not receive copies of the financial statement form that is required to be mailed to the officer or candidate. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.