HB 1029 Summary

• Requires a primary election to be held if a new congressional general election is ordered in any election contest.

• Returns the administrative structure of elections, ethics, and lobbying to the 2016 structure by re-recodifying Chapter 163A back into separate Chapters 163, 138A, and 120C and dissolving the Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement into three separate entities: State Board of Elections, State Ethics Commission, and Secretary of State.

• Re-establishes the State Board of Elections as a five-member board appointed by the Governor with no more than three members from the same political party, with four members appointed by the State Board and one chair appointed by the Governor.

• Restructures county boards of elections from three to five members, with four appointed by the State Board and one chair appointed by the Governor.

• Transfers State Ethics Commission functions and related staff positions back to the State Ethics Commission, and transfers lobbying registration and enforcement functions to the Secretary of State, effective January 31, 2019.