> Campaign Finance Reports
Campaign Finance Reports Electronic Filing System
In April 2015, the Texas Ethics Commission released a new electronic filing application. The changes made require the separation of certain types of contributions and political expenditures. The Mayor’s Office was also recently notified that the Texas Ethics Commission changed their candidate and PAC filing form from their April 2015 version. The change that they made is in regards to expenditures charged to a credit card, which will now need to be a part of a separate schedule - Schedule F4. The September 8, 2015 revised forms and detailed instruction guides are available on the Texas Ethics Commission website.
The Mayor’s Office, Houston Information Technology Services (HITS), the Legal Department, and the City Secretary’s Office have diligently worked to update the database in a way that will allow electronic filings that comply with the amended Texas Ethics Commission requirements. The database is now updated and accepting new filings.
Sections 18-103 and 18-104 of the City of Houston Code of Ordinances require electronic filing of campaign finance reports utilizing the system provided by the City, unless a filer is exempt pursuant to Section 18-103(c).
Please note that the preview option on the application is not functional at this time. Please review all fields in the Excel Data Verification Tool prior to submission. Once a filer chooses the submit option, that action triggers an official filing with the City Secretary’s Office pursuant to Title 15 of the Election Code. Any alterations or updates will require the filing of an amended report. A filer who files a corrected report must submit a correction affidavit. The affidavit must identify the information that has changed. (October 2, 2015)
For questions regarding how to use the City of Houston’s campaign finance reports electronic filing system, please contact the Office of the City Secretary at 832.393.1100. For questions regarding how to report campaign finance information, please contact the Texas Ethics Commission at 512.463.5800.