H.B. No. 551 amends the Election Code to enhance the privacy of individuals involved in political contributions and expenditures by modifying how address information is reported and made available online by the Texas Ethics Commission. The bill introduces a new requirement that reports filed with the commission must include a designated space to indicate whether the address of an individual receiving a political expenditure is a residence address. Additionally, it mandates that before making these reports available on the Internet, the commission must remove specific address details, retaining only the city, state, and zip code for contributors and recipients whose addresses are marked as residential.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that the address information removed from online reports must still be accessible in the physical reports maintained at the commission's office, ensuring that while the information is not publicly available online, it remains accessible for official purposes. The changes outlined in this bill will apply to reports required to be filed on or after January 1, 2026, and the act is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 254.036, Election Code 254.0401 (Election Code 254)
House Committee Report: Election Code 254.036, Election Code 254.0401 (Election Code 254)
Engrossed: Election Code 254.036, Election Code 254.0401 (Election Code 254)
Senate Committee Report: Election Code 254.036, Election Code 254.0401 (Election Code 254)
Enrolled: Election Code 254.036, Election Code 254.0401 (Election Code 254)