| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Negative | Neutral |
Relating to the secretary of state posting on the secretary of state's Internet website databases containing certain information about elections.
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB 2859, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($1,159,490) through the biennium ending August 31, 2023.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
HB 2859 would require the secretary of state to create a database for election information and a database of political candidates and incumbents and post both databases on its website.
Texas Action opposes HB 2859 because it violates the personal responsibility and limited government principles. All of the information this bill would seek to place in newly created databanks is already publicly available on local government websites or candidate campaign websites. Creating a central database for such information is a waste of resources and not a proper function of government. It is up to individuals to seek out election information and research candidates if they so desire.