House Bill 609 Summary

• Requires state constitutional officers, state legislators, county officers, city officers, and candidates for these positions to file potential conflict disclosure forms with the Secretary of State identifying employers, business entities, and significant stock holdings ($5,000+).

• Candidates must file disclosure forms when submitting declarations of candidacy; sitting officers must file by January 10 each year and whenever employment changes.

• Secretary of State reviews filings within 30 days for compliance and notifies violators to file amended forms with a $250 civil penalty; failure to comply within 7 days results in additional $500 penalty.

• Officers with actual knowledge of conflicts of interest not disclosed on forms must publicly declare the conflict before or during official actions or votes, with declarations recorded in official records or legislative minutes.

• Completed disclosure forms are public records retained for 2 years (for 2-year term offices) or 4 years (for longer-term offices) and must be accessible on the Secretary of State's website with links from the legislature's website; effective July 1, 2019.