Relating to address information contained on reports of political contributions and expenditures made available on the Internet by the Texas Ethics Commission.
HB 551 modifies Texas Ethics Commission reporting requirements for political contributions and expenditures. It requires the Commission to add a field indicating whether an address is a residence address on reports, then mandates removing all full address details (except city, state, and zip code) for residence addresses from publicly available online reports. This change applies to reports filed on or after January 1, 2026, while full address information remains accessible only in physical records at the Commission's office. The bill aims to protect residential privacy for individuals receiving political expenditures without altering business address disclosures.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 3, 2025
Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
Jun 20, 2025
MINOR
This bill updates the Texas Election Code to require the Texas Ethics Commission to include a checkbox on political contribution reports indicating whether a recipient's address is a residence. The bill also clarifies that removed address details must remain on paper reports but cannot be published electronically. These changes aim to balance privacy protection with transparency in political spending.
Scope change
The bill applies to political contribution and expenditure reports filed on or after January 1, 2026, with an effective date of September 1, 2025.
REQUIREMENT
Added a requirement for the Texas Ethics Commission to include a space on reports to indicate whether a recipient's address is a residence.
Modified address handling rules to ensure removed address details remain available on physical reports but cannot be accessed electronically.
TIMELINE
Established that new reporting requirements apply to reports filed on or after January 1, 2026.
Floor votes · House May 12, 2025
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
50
Key actions
18
Committee
11
Amendments
2
Jun 20, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage reported
lower
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
May 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
May 14, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
upper
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
May 12, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (139-0-5)
house
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
2 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Paul Bettencourt
RRepublican
P
Valoree Swanson
RRepublican
Co
Carrie Isaac
RRepublican
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