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Frequently Asked Questions

For Political Committees

1. Where do I register as a political committee?

2. I am the new treasurer for my GPAC (General-Purpose Committee). What do I need to do in order to file?

3. I am the outgoing treasurer for a GPAC. What do I need to do?

4. My GPAC has already appointed a new treasurer and I am no longer the treasurer. How do I login to the filing application to file the termination report electronically?

5. I am the outgoing treasurer of a GPAC and I did not get an email with my temporary Filer ID and password link. What do I do now?

6. My GPAC has not appointed a new treasurer. How can I resign immediately?

7. My GPAC employs a third party to file our reports. This third party will continue to file reports for the new treasurer. As the outgoing treasurer, am I still required the file the 10th Day After Treasurer Termination report?

8. Does my committee have to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports?

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1. Where do I register as a political committee?

A political committee is a group of persons that has as a principal purpose accepting political contributions or making political expenditures. Political committees are required to file a campaign treasurer appointment before exceeding $980 in political contributions or political expenditures.

All general-purpose committees and specific-purpose committees that support or oppose statewide measures or candidates that file with the Texas Ethics Commission must file with the Commission. Specific-purpose committees that only support or oppose local candidates or measures must file with the local authority.

To get your new political committee set up with your filing authority, you will first need to file a Treasurer Appointment form with your filing authority. You can find Treasurer Appointment forms and instructions at Forms/Instructions▾Committee Filers tab at the top of this page. More information about where to file a treasurer appointment and the filing requirements for a political committee can be found in the Campaign Finance Guide for Political Committees.

2. I am the new treasurer for my GPAC (General-Purpose Committee). What do I need to do in order to file?

You will need to file Form AGTA and Form SECURITY with the Texas Ethics Commission. Once we have both forms, the Commission will send you an email to the primary email address you provided on Form SECURITY. This email will contain a link you can use to set up your password and security questions. The password link contained in the email is only valid for two days. After you have set up your password, you will use the GPAC's Filer ID and your password to login to the filing application and file campaign finance reports.

3. I am the outgoing treasurer for a GPAC. What do I need to do?

As the outgoing treasurer for a GPAC, you are required to file a 10th Day After Treasurer Termination report. The report is due no later than the 10th day after the termination is filed. If the termination takes place on the last day of a reporting period, you can file a combination report by selecting both the report type for that filing deadline and the 10th Day After Treasurer Termination report option.

How you file the termination report depends on whether your GPAC has already appointed a new campaign treasurer by filing Form AGTA and Form SECURITY with the Commission. See Questions #4 and #6 for more information about filing the termination report electronically.

4. My GPAC has already appointed a new treasurer and I am no longer the treasurer. How do I login to the filing application to file the termination report electronically?

If your GPAC has already appointed a new campaign treasurer by filing Form AGTA and Form SECURITY with the Commission, then you can no longer login to the filing application using the GPAC's Filer ID. Instead, an email will be sent to your primary email address containing a temporary Filer ID and a password setup link. Use this link to set up a temporary password that will allow you to login to the filing application and file the termination report. The password setup link contained in the email is only valid for two days. The temporary Filer ID and temporary password will remain valid for ten days.

5. I am the outgoing treasurer of a GPAC and I did not get an email with my temporary Filer ID and password link. What do I do now?

The email with your temporary Filer ID and password link will be sent to your primary email address. Be sure to "whitelist" or mark as "safe" emails that come from "do-not-reply@ethics.state.tx.us" and be sure to check your Spam or Junk folder for any missing messages. If you still cannot find this email, please call the Ethics Commission at 512-463-5800 and ask to speak with technical support.

6. My GPAC has not appointed a new treasurer. How can I resign immediately?

If your GPAC has not already appointed a new campaign treasurer, then you may file the termination report electronically at any time by logging into the filing application and selecting Start a New Report from the Manage My Reports screen. The filing application will suggest a report for you to start. Select Other Report Options and then select Start a 10 day after treasurer termination report. The termination will be effective on the date that you file this report. Additionally, your GPAC will be placed on inactive status until the GPAC appoints a new campaign treasurer.

You should also immediately notify the GPAC that it should appoint a new campaign treasurer. A GPAC on inactive status cannot accept political contributions or make political expenditures (or have any other related activity) until it appoints a new campaign treasurer.

7. My GPAC employs a third party to file our reports. This third party will continue to file reports for the new treasurer. As the outgoing treasurer, am I still required the file the 10th Day After Treasurer Termination report?

Yes, as the outgoing treasurer you still have the requirement to file the 10th Day After Treasurer Termination report. The third party that files the reports for your GPAC can file this report on your behalf.

8. Does my committee have to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports?

A general-purpose committee that does not file monthly reports must file pre-election reports for any election in which the committee is involved. Involvement includes accepting political contributions or making political expenditures in support of or in opposition to a candidate or measure. When determining whether your committee is involved in an election, please keep in mind that any expenditure of funds to support or oppose a candidate or measure will trigger the requirement, even if it’s not a contribution made directly to a candidate.

A specific-purpose committee must file pre-election reports for any election in which the committee supports or opposes an opposed candidate or measure. Also, please note that if you are required to file a 30-day pre-election report, you must file the 8-day pre-election report even if you have no additional activity to report.