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Texas Statutes (Last Updated: January 4, 2014) |
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GOVERNMENT CODE |
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Title 5. OPEN GOVERNMENT; ETHICS |
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Subtitle B. ETHICS |
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Chapter 571. TEXAS ETHICS COMMISSION |
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Subchapter C. GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES |
Sec. 571.0671. REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRONIC FILING SOFTWARE
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(a) Computer software provided or approved by the commission for use under Section 254.036(b), Election Code, or Section 302.013 or 305.0064 must:
(1) use a standardized format for the entry of names, addresses, and zip codes;
(2) provide for secure and encoded transmission of data from the computer of a person filing a report to the computers used by the commission;
(3) be capable of being used by a person with basic computing skills;
(4) provide confirmation to a person filing a report that the report was properly received; and
(5) permit a person using a computer to prepare a report or to retrieve information from a report to import information to the report from a variety of computer software applications that meet commission specifications for a standard file format or export information from the report to a variety of computer software applications that meet commission specifications for a standard file format without the need to reenter information.
(b) Before determining the specifications for computer software developed, purchased, or licensed for use under Section 254.036, Election Code, or Section 302.013 or 305.0064, the commission shall conduct at least one public hearing to discuss the specifications. For at least 10 days following the hearing, the commission shall accept public comments concerning the software specifications.
(c) The commission may provide software for use under Section 254.036(b), Election Code, or Section 302.013 or 305.0064 by making the software available on the Internet. If the commission makes the software available on the Internet, the commission is not required to provide the software on computer diskettes, CD-ROMs, or other storage media without charge to persons required to file reports under that section, but may charge a fee for providing the software on storage media. A fee under this subsection may not exceed the cost to the commission of providing the software.