85R1986 CAE-D     By: Raymond H.B. No. 887       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to recusal of a justice of the supreme court or judge of   the court of criminal appeals based on political contributions   accepted by the justice or judge from a person involved in a case   before the justice or judge.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 22, Government Code, is   amended by adding Section 22.303 to read as follows:          Sec. 22.303.  RECUSAL OF JUSTICE OR JUDGE BECAUSE OF   ACCEPTANCE OF POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) Except as provided by   Subsection (d), a justice of the supreme court or judge of the court   of criminal appeals shall recuse himself or herself from any case in   which the justice or judge has in the preceding four years accepted   political contributions, as defined by Section 251.001, Election   Code, in a total amount of $2,500 or more from:                (1)  a party to the case;                (2)  an attorney of record in the case;                (3)  the law firm of an attorney of record in the case;                (4)  the managing agent of a party to the case;                (5)  a member of the board of directors of a party to   the case; or                (6)  a general-purpose committee, as defined by Section   251.001, Election Code, that is established or administered by a   person who is a party to the case.          (b)  For purposes of this section, a political contribution   made by a person to a general-purpose committee that makes a   political contribution to a justice or judge is considered to be a   political contribution made directly by the person to the justice   or judge. The total amount of political contributions considered   under this subsection to have been made directly from the person to   the justice or judge during the period specified by Subsection (a)   is equal to the lesser of:                (1)  the total amount of political contributions the   person made to the general-purpose committee during that period; or                (2)  the total amount of political contributions the   general-purpose committee made to the justice or judge during that   period.          (c)  A party filing any motion, brief, or pleading before the   supreme court or court of criminal appeals must disclose in writing   to the court each political contribution made in the four years   preceding the date the motion, brief, or pleading is filed to a   justice or judge of that court by:                (1)  the party;                (2)  a person affiliated with the party as described by   Subsection (a)(2), (3), (4), (5), or (6); or                (3)  a general-purpose committee to whom the party or a   person affiliated with the party has made a political contribution   during that period.          (d)  A justice or judge is not required to recuse himself or   herself from a case as provided by Subsection (a) if each party in   the case who is in opposition to the party who made the political   contribution, or with whom the person who made the political   contribution is affiliated, agrees to waive the required recusal.          SECTION 2.  Section 22.303, Government Code, as added by   this Act, applies only to a political contribution accepted on or   after the effective date of this Act.  A political contribution   accepted before the effective date of this Act is governed by the   law in effect on the date the contribution is accepted, and the   former law is continued in effect for that purpose.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives   a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as   provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this   Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this   Act takes effect September 1, 2017.