H.B. No. 3386 amends the Election Code of Texas to include provisions regarding political advertising disseminated through mass text message campaigns. Specifically, it expands the definition of "political advertising" to encompass communications that are part of a mass text message campaign, in addition to traditional forms of media such as newspapers, magazines, and broadcasts. The bill also introduces a new definition for "mass text message campaign," describing it as an organized effort where a person sends text messages to multiple recipients in support of or opposition to a candidate, political party, public officer, or measure, provided that the expenditure for these messages exceeds the basic costs of hardware, messaging software, and bandwidth.

The changes enacted by this bill will only apply to political advertising distributed or broadcast on or after its effective date of September 1, 2025. Any political advertising that occurs before this date will continue to be governed by the existing laws in place at that time. This legislation aims to modernize the regulations surrounding political advertising to account for the growing use of text messaging as a campaign tool.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 251.001 (Election Code 251)