Title EL, Election Code

Sec. 253.006. CERTAIN CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES BY LOBBYISTS RESTRICTED. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person required to register under Chapter 305, Government Code, may not knowingly make or authorize a political contribution or political expenditure th…

Sec. 253.007. PROHIBITION ON LOBBYING BY PERSON MAKING OR AUTHORIZING CERTAIN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND DIRECT CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES. (a) In this section, "administrative action," "communicates directly with," "legislation," "member of the executive branch," and "member of the …

Sec. 253.031. CONTRIBUTION AND EXPENDITURE WITHOUT CAMPAIGN TREASURER PROHIBITED. (a) A candidate may not knowingly accept a campaign contribution or make or authorize a campaign expenditure at a time when a campaign treasurer appointment for the candidate is not in effect. (b) A…

Sec. 253.032. LIMITATION ON CONTRIBUTION BY OUT-OF-STATE COMMITTEE. (a) In a reporting period, a candidate, officeholder, or political committee may not knowingly accept political contributions totaling more than $500 from an out-of-state political committee unless, before accept…

Sec. 253.033. CASH CONTRIBUTIONS EXCEEDING $100 PROHIBITED. (a) A candidate, officeholder, or specific-purpose committee may not knowingly accept from a contributor in a reporting period political contributions in cash that in the aggregate exceed $100. (b) A person who violates …

Sec. 253.034. RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS DURING AND FOLLOWING REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION. (a) During the period beginning on the 30th day before the date a regular legislative session convenes and continuing through the 20th day after the date of final adjournment, a person m…

Sec. 253.0341. RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS TO LEGISLATIVE CAUCUSES DURING AND FOLLOWING REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION. (a) During the period beginning on the 30th day before the date a regular legislative session convenes and continuing through the 20th day after the date of fina…

Sec. 253.035. RESTRICTIONS ON PERSONAL USE OF CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) A person who accepts a political contribution as a candidate or officeholder may not convert the contribution to personal use. (b) A specific-purpose committee that accepts a political contribution may not convert t…

Sec. 253.0351. LOANS FROM PERSONAL FUNDS. (a) A candidate or officeholder who makes political expenditures from the candidate's or officeholder's personal funds may report the amount expended as a loan and may reimburse those personal funds from political contributions in the amo…

Sec. 253.036. OFFICEHOLDER CONTRIBUTIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH CAMPAIGN. An officeholder who lawfully accepts officeholder contributions may use those contributions in connection with the officeholder's campaign for elective office after appointing a campaign treasurer. Amended…

Sec. 253.037. RESTRICTIONS ON CONTRIBUTION OR EXPENDITURE BY GENERAL-PURPOSE COMMITTEE. (a) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 209 (H.B. 3580), Sec. 5(1), eff. September 1, 2019. (b) A general-purpose committee may not knowingly make a political contribution to another g…

Sec. 253.038. PAYMENTS MADE TO PURCHASE REAL PROPERTY OR TO RENT CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY PROHIBITED. (a) A candidate or officeholder or a specific-purpose committee for supporting, opposing, or assisting the candidate or officeholder may not knowingly make or authorize a payment fr…

Sec. 253.039. CONTRIBUTIONS IN CERTAIN PUBLIC BUILDINGS PROHIBITED. (a) A person may not knowingly make or authorize a political contribution while in the Capitol or a courthouse to: (1) a candidate or officeholder; (2) a political committee; or (3) a person acting on behalf of a…

Sec. 253.040. SEPARATE ACCOUNTS. (a) Except as provided by Section 253.0351(c), each candidate or officeholder shall keep the person's campaign and officeholder contributions in one or more accounts that are separate from any other account maintained by the person. (b) A person w…

Sec. 253.041. RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN PAYMENTS. (a) A candidate or officeholder or a specific-purpose committee for supporting, opposing, or assisting the candidate or officeholder may not knowingly make or authorize a payment from a political contribution if the payment is made …

Sec. 253.042. RESTRICTIONS ON REIMBURSEMENT OF PERSONAL FUNDS AND PAYMENTS ON CERTAIN LOANS. (a) A candidate or officeholder who makes political expenditures from the candidate's or officeholder's personal funds may not reimburse those personal funds from political contributions …

Sec. 253.043. POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH APPOINTIVE OFFICE. A former candidate or former officeholder who lawfully accepts political contributions may use those contributions to make an expenditure to defray expenses incurred by the person in performing a dut…

Sec. 253.091. CORPORATIONS COVERED. This subchapter applies only to corporations that are organized under the Texas Business Corporation Act, the Texas For-Profit Corporation Law, the Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act, the Texas Nonprofit Corporation Law, federal law, or law of an…

Sec. 253.092. TREATMENT OF INCORPORATED POLITICAL COMMITTEE. If a political committee the only principal purpose of which is accepting political contributions and making political expenditures incorporates for liability purposes only, the committee is not considered to be a corpo…

Sec. 253.093. CERTAIN ASSOCIATIONS COVERED. (a) For purposes of this subchapter, the following associations, whether incorporated or not, are considered to be corporations covered by this subchapter: banks, trust companies, savings and loan associations or companies, insurance co…

Sec. 253.094. CONTRIBUTIONS PROHIBITED. (a) A corporation or labor organization may not make a political contribution that is not authorized by this subchapter. (b) A corporation or labor organization may not make a political contribution in connection with a recall election, inc…

Sec. 253.095. PUNISHMENT OF AGENT. An officer, director, or other agent of a corporation or labor organization who commits an offense under this subchapter is punishable for the grade of offense applicable to the corporation or labor organization. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg.,…

Sec. 253.096. CONTRIBUTION ON MEASURE. A corporation or labor organization may make campaign contributions from its own property in connection with an election on a measure only to a political committee for supporting or opposing measures exclusively. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th L…

Sec. 253.097. CONTRIBUTION FROM CORPORATION OR LABOR ORGANIZATION. A corporation or labor organization may make campaign contributions from its own property to a political committee that has filed an affidavit with the committee's campaign treasurer appointment in accordance with…

Sec. 253.098. COMMUNICATION WITH STOCKHOLDERS OR MEMBERS. (a) A corporation or labor organization may make one or more direct campaign expenditures from its own property for the purpose of communicating directly with its stockholders or members, as applicable, or with the familie…

Sec. 253.099. NONPARTISAN VOTER REGISTRATION AND GET-OUT-THE-VOTE CAMPAIGNS. (a) A corporation or labor organization may make one or more expenditures to finance nonpartisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns aimed at its stockholders or members, as applicable, or …

Sec. 253.100. EXPENDITURES FOR GENERAL-PURPOSE COMMITTEE. (a) A corporation, acting alone or with one or more other corporations, may make one or more political expenditures to finance the establishment or administration of a general-purpose committee. In addition to any other ex…

Sec. 253.101. UNLAWFUL CONTRIBUTION OR EXPENDITURE BY COMMITTEE. (a) A political committee assisted by a corporation or labor organization under Section 253.100 may not make a political contribution or political expenditure in whole or part from money that is known by a member or…

Sec. 253.102. COERCION PROHIBITED. (a) A corporation or labor organization or a political committee assisted by a corporation or labor organization under Section 253.100 commits an offense if it uses or threatens to use physical force, job discrimination, or financial reprisal to…

Sec. 253.103. CORPORATE LOANS. (a) A corporation may not make a loan to a candidate, officeholder, or political committee for campaign or officeholder purposes unless: (1) the corporation has been legally and continuously engaged in the business of lending money for at least one …

Sec. 253.104. CONTRIBUTION TO POLITICAL PARTY. (a) A corporation or labor organization may make a contribution from its own property to a political party to be used as provided by Chapter 257. (b) A corporation or labor organization may not knowingly make a contribution authorize…

Sec. 253.105. CONTRIBUTIONS TO DIRECT EXPENDITURE ONLY COMMITTEES. (a) A corporation or labor organization may make a political contribution from its own property to a political committee that: (1) is not established or controlled by a candidate or an officeholder; (2) makes or i…

Sec. 253.131. LIABILITY TO CANDIDATES. (a) A person who knowingly makes or accepts a campaign contribution or makes a campaign expenditure in violation of this chapter is liable for damages as provided by this section. (b) If the contribution or expenditure is in support of a can…

Sec. 253.132. LIABILITY TO POLITICAL COMMITTEES. (a) A corporation or labor organization that knowingly makes a campaign contribution to a political committee or a direct campaign expenditure in violation of Subchapter D is liable for damages as provided by this section to each p…

Sec. 253.133. LIABILITY TO STATE. A person who knowingly makes or accepts a political contribution or makes a political expenditure in violation of this chapter is liable for damages to the state in the amount of triple the value of the unlawful contribution or expenditure. Amend…

Sec. 253.134. CIVIL PENALTIES IMPOSED BY COMMISSION. This title does not prohibit the imposition of civil penalties by the commission in addition to criminal penalties or other sanctions imposed by law. Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 304, Sec. 5.09, eff. Jan. 1, 1992. SUBCHAP…

Sec. 253.151. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter applies only to a political contribution or political expenditure in connection with the office of: (1) chief justice or justice, supreme court; (2) presiding judge or judge, court of criminal appeals; (3) chief justice o…

Sec. 253.152. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "Child" means a person under 18 years of age who is not and has not been married or who has not had the disabilities of minority removed for general purposes. (2) "In connection with an election" means: (A) with regard to a contr…

Sec. 253.153. CONTRIBUTION PROHIBITED EXCEPT DURING ELECTION PERIOD. (a) A judicial candidate or officeholder, a specific-purpose committee for supporting or opposing a judicial candidate, or a specific-purpose committee for assisting a judicial officeholder may not knowingly acc…

Sec. 253.154. WRITE-IN CANDIDACY. (a) A write-in candidate for judicial office or a specific-purpose committee for supporting a write-in candidate for judicial office may not knowingly accept a political contribution before the candidate files a declaration of write-in candidacy.…

Sec. 253.1541. ACCEPTANCE OF POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY PERSON APPOINTED TO FILL VACANCY. (a) This section applies only to a person appointed to fill a vacancy in an office covered by this subchapter who, at the time of appointment, does not hold another office covered by this su…

Sec. 253.155. CONTRIBUTION LIMITS. (a) A judicial candidate or officeholder may not knowingly accept political contributions from a person that, in the aggregate, exceed the contribution limits prescribed by Subsection (b) in connection with each election in which the judicial ca…

Sec. 253.157. LIMIT ON CONTRIBUTION BY GENERAL-PURPOSE COMMITTEES. (a) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 384 (H.B. 3233), Sec. 17(2), eff. June 2, 2019. (a-1) A judicial candidate or officeholder may not knowingly accept political contributions from a general-purpose co…

Sec. 253.158. CONTRIBUTION BY SPOUSE OR CHILD. (a) For purposes of this subchapter, a contribution by the spouse of an individual is not considered to be a contribution by the individual. (b) For purposes of this subchapter, a contribution by a child of an individual is considere…

Sec. 253.159. EXCEPTION TO CONTRIBUTION LIMITS. Section 253.155 does not apply to an individual who is related to the candidate or officeholder within the second degree by consanguinity, as determined under Subchapter B, Chapter 573, Government Code. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg.…

Sec. 253.1601. CONTRIBUTION TO CERTAIN COMMITTEES CONSIDERED CONTRIBUTION TO CANDIDATE OR OFFICEHOLDER. For purposes of Sections 253.155 and 253.157, a contribution to a specific-purpose committee for the purpose of supporting a judicial candidate, opposing the candidate's oppone…