Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB391 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R2007 DRH-D
2	2	By: Patrick, Dan S.B. No. 391
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to certain election practices and procedures.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 13.031(d), Election Code, is amended to
10	10	read as follows:
11	11	(d) To be eligible for appointment as a volunteer deputy
12	12	registrar, a person must be eligible to register to vote in the
13	13	county served by the registrar [18 years of age or older].
14	14	SECTION 2. Section 13.032, Election Code, is amended to
15	15	read as follows:
16	16	Sec. 13.032. PROHIBITION ON REFUSING TO APPOINT. A
17	17	registrar may not refuse to appoint as a volunteer deputy
18	18	registrar:
19	19	(1) a person eligible to register to vote in [resident
20	20	of] the county served by the registrar; or
21	21	(2) any person on the basis of sex, race, creed, color,
22	22	or national origin or ancestry.
23	23	SECTION 3. Section 16.0332, Election Code, is amended to
24	24	read as follows:
25	25	Sec. 16.0332. CANCELLATION BECAUSE OF CITIZENSHIP STATUS.
26	26	(a) After the secretary of state receives a list under Section
27	27	62.113, Government Code, of persons excused or disqualified from
28	28	jury service because of citizenship status, the secretary of state
29	29	shall cancel the voter registration of each registered voter whose
30	30	name appears on the list.
31	31	(b) After the registrar receives a list under Section
32	32	62.113, Government Code, of persons excused or disqualified from
33	33	jury service because of citizenship status, the registrar shall
34	34	deliver to each registered voter whose name appears on the list [a]
35	35	written notice that the person's voter registration has been
36	36	canceled [requiring the voter to submit to the registrar proof of
37	37	United States citizenship in the form of a certified copy of the
38	38	voter's birth certificate, United States passport, or certificate
39	39	of naturalization or any other form prescribed by the secretary of
40	40	state. The notice shall be delivered by forwardable mail to the
41	41	mailing address on the voter's registration application and to any
42	42	new address of the voter known to the registrar].
43	43	[(b) If a voter fails to submit to the registrar proof of
44	44	citizenship on or before the 30th day after the date the notice is
45	45	mailed, the registrar shall cancel the voter's registration.
46	46	[(c) The registrar shall retain a copy of the notice mailed
47	47	to a voter under this section on file with the voter's registration
48	48	application. The registrar shall also retain any proof of
49	49	citizenship received under this section on file with the
50	50	application.]
51	51	SECTION 4. Section 16.036(c), Election Code, is amended to
52	52	read as follows:
53	53	(c) The notice must include:
54	54	(1) the date of cancellation;
55	55	(2) the reason for cancellation; and
56	56	(3) a brief explanation of the voter's right to
57	57	challenge the cancellation and to appeal the [registrar's] decision
58	58	of the registrar or secretary of state, as applicable.
59	59	SECTION 5. Section 85.001(e), Election Code, is amended to
60	60	read as follows:
61	61	(e) For an election held on the uniform election date in May
62	62	and any resulting runoff election, the period for early voting by
63	63	personal appearance begins on the 12th day before election day and
64	64	continues through the fourth day before election day.
65	65	SECTION 6. Section 123.032(d), Election Code, is amended to
66	66	read as follows:
67	67	(d) The maximum amount that a county in which a political
68	68	subdivision is wholly or partly situated may charge the political
69	69	subdivision for leasing county-owned equipment is 10 percent of the
70	70	purchase price of the equipment [for each day the equipment is
71	71	leased].
72	72	SECTION 7. Section 62.0142, Government Code, is amended to
73	73	read as follows:
74	74	Sec. 62.0142. NOTICE ON WRITTEN SUMMONS. If a written
75	75	summons for jury duty allows a person to claim a disqualification or
76	76	exemption by signing a statement and returning it to the clerk of
77	77	the court, the form must notify the person that by claiming a
78	78	disqualification or exemption based on the lack of citizenship or
79	79	lack of residence in the county the person shall [might] no longer
80	80	be eligible to vote in the county.
81	81	SECTION 8. Section 62.113(b), Government Code, is amended
82	82	to read as follows:
83	83	(b) On the third business day of each month, the clerk shall
84	84	send a copy of the list of persons excused or disqualified because
85	85	of citizenship in the previous month to the voter registrar of the
86	86	county and the secretary of state.
87	87	SECTION 9. The appointment of a person serving as a
88	88	volunteer deputy registrar who does not meet the eligibility
89	89	requirements of Section 13.031(d), Election Code, as amended by
90	90	this Act, expires on the effective date of this Act. The secretary
91	91	of state shall prescribe procedures necessary to implement this
92	92	section.
93	93	SECTION 10. The changes in law made by Section 7 of this Act
94	94	apply only to a person summoned for jury duty on or after the
95	95	effective date of this Act. A person summoned for jury duty before
96	96	the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect
97	97	immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former
98	98	law is continued in effect for that purpose.
99	99	SECTION 11. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.