Wanted to Make It Harder for a Grassroots Candidate to Run for Office: House of Bad Cards

We all lament the lack of challengers to bad incumbents. We want good candidates to step forward and run for office.

Anyone who has run for office will tell you that campaign finance and the reporting requirements are a bit confusing and difficult as it is. Rep. Carl Tepper wants to make that harder.

HB 1804 lets the Texas Ethics Commission fine taxpayers of small towns, counties, and school districts $5,000 per day if the TEC considers that local government is out of compliance with rules requiring campaign finance reports.

Oof.

But wait - there's more.

Those candidates or office holders found to be in violation could be declared ineligible for election or even be removed from office.

Want to discourage people from running for office except for the rich who can afford lawyers and such? This is how you do it.

GOP Platform Conflict: Preamble supports fair elections through adherence to the Constitution and inherent principles of representation; barriers oppose grassroots principles.

RV#1583: Yea 99 (R 51, D 48) - Nay 46 (R 35, D 11)
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Yea - Allen; Anchia; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bhojani; Bonnen; Bowers; Buckley; Bucy; Bumgarner; Canales; Capriglione; Cole; Collier; Cortez; Craddick; Curry; Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dean; Dorazio; Dutton; Dyson; Fairly; Flores; Frank; Gamez; Garcia Hernandez; Garcia, L.; Gates; Gerdes; Geren; Gonzalez, J.; Gonzalez, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Guillen; Harless; Harris; Hayes; Hernandez; Hickland; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Isaac; Johnson; King; Kitzman; LaHood; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Lujan; Manuel; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; McLaughlin; McQueeney; Metcalf; Meyer; Morales Shaw; Morales, E.; Munoz; Noble; Ordaz; Orr; Patterson; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Phelan; Plesa; Raymond; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Schofield; Shaheen; Smithee; Talarico; Tepper; Thompson; Turner; VanDeaver; Villalobos; Vo; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu; Zweiner

Nay - Alders; Bryant; Cain; Campos; Cook; Cunningham; DeAyala; Garcia, J.; Gervin-Hawkins; Harris Davila; Harrison; Hefner; Hinojosa; Holt; Hopper; Jones, J.; Kerwin; Lalani; Leo Wilson; Little; Louderback; Lowe; Lozano; Luther; Meza; Money; Morales, C.; Morgan; Olcott; Oliverson; Paul; Pierson; Reynolds; Richardson; Rodriguez Ramos; Schatzline; Schoolcraft; Shofner; Slawson; Spiller; Swanson; Tinderholt; Toth; Troxclair; Vasut; Virdell

Absent - Button

Present, Not Voting - Burrows; Moody; Simmons

(Bill summary provided in part by Texas Policy Research)