HBA-DMD, TYH H.B. 1068 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1068 By: McReynolds Elections 9/15/1999 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Prior to the 76th Legislature, Section 255.006 (Misleading Use of Office Title), Election Code, required candidates who were seeking an office for which they were not the incumbent to use the word "for" in all their political advertising. This legislation, passed during the 75th Legislative Session, was meant to make clear to the voters which candidates currently hold the office they seek and which do not. In practice, candidates have circumvented the new provision by making the word "for" illegibly small in their campaign advertising. This made it difficult for the voters to discern whether or not the candidate held the office he or she was seeking. H.B. 1068 requires the candidates who are seeking an office that they currently do not hold to print the word "for" in their campaign advertising in a type size that is at least one-half the type size used for the name of the office. 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. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 255.006(c), Election Code, to provide that a candidate seeking an office not currently held by the candidate needs to print the word "for" in campaign advertising in a type size that is at least one-half the type size used for the name of the office. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.