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House panel weighs bill to bar fundraising by members who leave state to break quorum; bill left pending
Summary
The Texas House Committee on Elections considered House Bill 18, which would bar legislators from accepting contributions or using campaign funds for travel and related expenses while absent from the state for the purpose of breaking quorum. Members debated constitutional and enforcement questions; the committee left the bill pending.
The House Committee on Elections on Monday heard testimony on House Bill 18, legislation that would prohibit legislators who are absent from the state “for the purposes of breaking quorum” from accepting contributions larger than the daily legislative per diem or using campaign funds to pay travel-related expenses, and would allow civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation enforced through district court proceedings and the Fifth Court of Appeals.
The bill’s sponsor, identified in committee as Chair Shaheen, told members: "HB 18 prohibits legislators from fundraising or making certain expenditures while absent from the state without leave for the purposes of breaking quorum." The sponsor said the…
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