Texas Legislature 2017 Preview

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Issues to consider in reviewing Texas legislative proposals that affect nonprofits and associations

The 85th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, will be called to order on January 10, 2017, but already hundreds of proposed bills have been pre-filed by sponsors in the House and Senate. More than 6,000 bills will be filed during the session. The challenge becomes how to sort through them and identify the bills that directly affect the nonprofit sector and the interests of community leaders, volunteers and those who support community-based organizations, statewide associations and foundations. [Read more…]

Observing Texas lobbying and campaign regulations

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State associations and activist nonprofit organizations must be familiar with the Texas regulatory environment governing lobbying, campaign or election activities during this lively election year and the coming 85th Texas legislative session in January 2017.

Avoiding violations of these laws and regulations was the subject of a presentation on August 26 at the State Bar of Texas 14th Annual Governance of Nonprofit Organizations course. Read the presentation summary here. [Read more…]

New “Form 1295” contract reporting law includes nonprofit vendors or grantees

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Many nonprofits may encounter a new compliance requirement that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The 2015 Texas legislative session saw a lot of activity regarding the contracting and procurement procedures of state and local government agencies. One result was the passage of House Bill 1295, which requires filing with the Texas Ethics Commission the new Form 1295 detailing the business or nonprofit organization entering into a contract of $1 million or more with a state or local government entity. [Read more…]

UT School of Law, January 2016 Conference Presentation

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Click to review my outline presentation.

• “Texas Legislative and Regulatory Update”
33rd Annual Nonprofit Organizations Institute, for The University of Texas School of Law/Conference of Southwest Foundations, January 14-15, 2016, Austin, Texas.

Texas Legislature’s “interim committee” work picks up in 2016 — stay informed

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Much of the preparation and work for the 2017 legislative session will be initiated during the 2016 interim period by House and Senate committees through “charges” issued by the speaker and lieutenant governor. Stakeholders, advocacy groups and interested persons should monitor these committee agendas and be alert to background research, policy discussions, consensus-building and committee public hearings. These activities can result in important bill drafts that emerge full-blown early in the 2017 session, often with considerable member support. At that point, it may be too late to influence or oppose a bill or policy shift that has accrued broad support. [Read more…]