HBA-CMT, JEK H.B. 1496 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1496 By: Farabee Elections 2/25/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, specific-purpose committees formed to support certain candidates or assist certain officeholders are not required to have a candidate's or officeholder's written authorization to use that person's name. There is a possibility that persons contributing to such a committee could be under the mistaken impression that a particular candidate has sanctioned the use of the candidate's name. House Bill 1496 requires specific-purpose committees that are formed to support a candidate or assist an officeholder to have the candidate's or officeholder's written authorization to use the officeholder's or candidate's name. 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 1496 amends the Election Code to prohibit the name of a specific-purpose committee for supporting a certain candidate or assisting a certain officeholder from including the name of the candidate or officeholder the committee supports or assists unless the candidate or officeholder authorizes the use of the name in writing. The bill provides that this authorization or a new committee name that does not include the candidate's or officeholder's name must be filed with the appropriate authority no later than October 1, 2001. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.