CONFLICT OF INTERESTS.

(a) An officer, employee, or paid consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of criminal justice may not be the executive director of the policy council or an employee of the policy council who is exempt from the state's position classification plan or is compensated at or above the amount prescribed by the General Appropriations Act for step 1, salary group 17, of the position classification salary schedule.

(b) A person who is the spouse of an officer, manager, or paid consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of criminal justice may not be the executive director of the policy council and may not be an employee of the policy council who is exempt from the state's position classification plan or is compensated at or above the amount prescribed by the General Appropriations Act for step 1, salary group 17, of the position classification salary schedule.

(c) A person may not serve as the executive director of the policy council or act as the general counsel to the policy council if the person is required to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305, Government Code, because of the person's activities for compensation on behalf of a profession related to the operation of the policy council.

(d) For the purposes of this section, a Texas trade association is a nonprofit, cooperative, and voluntarily joined association of business or professional competitors in this state designed to assist its members and its industry or profession in dealing with mutual business or professional problems and in promoting their common interest.