A person involved in a transaction or activity that the commission concludes in an advisory opinion to be a conversion of a contribution to personal use in violation of Section 253.035, Election Code, is not civilly liable to the state if:

1. (1) before receiving the opinion, the person reasonably believed the transaction or activity did not constitute a conversion, taking into account prior opinions and rules of the commission; and

2. (2) on or before the 30th day after the date the opinion is published, the person:

   1. (A) returns to the political fund from which it was removed an amount equal to the amount converted; and
   2. (B) notifies the commission by certified mail that the person has returned the converted contribution as required by this section.

Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 268, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.