By: Harless (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 2477
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2011;
May 9, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on State
Affairs; May 16, 2011, reported adversely, with favorable
Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0;
May 16, 2011, sent to printer.)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2477 By: Ellis
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to provision of bilingual election materials.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 142.010, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
(d) In conjunction with the certification required under
Subsection (a), the secretary of state shall include appropriate
ballot translation language, as applicable, for each language
certified statewide or in a specific county by the director of the
census under 42 U.S.C. Section 1973aa-1a.
SECTION 2. Section 161.008, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
(d) In conjunction with the certification required under
Subsection (a), the secretary of state shall include appropriate
ballot translation language, as applicable, for each language
certified statewide or in a specific county by the director of the
census under 42 U.S.C. Section 1973aa-1a.
SECTION 3. Section 192.033, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
(d) In conjunction with the certification required under
Subsection (a), the secretary of state shall include appropriate
ballot translation language, as applicable, for each language
certified statewide or in a specific county by the director of the
census under 42 U.S.C. Section 1973aa-1a.
SECTION 4. Section 274.003, Election Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
(c) In conjunction with the certification required under
Subsection (a), the secretary of state shall include appropriate
ballot translation language, as applicable, for each language
certified statewide or for a specific county by the director of the
census under 42 U.S.C. Section 1973aa-1a.
SECTION 5. Chapter 272, Election Code, is amended by adding
Section 272.011 to read as follows:
Sec. 272.011. BILINGUAL ELECTION MATERIALS REQUIRED IN
CERTAIN POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS. (a) If the director of the census
determines under 42 U.S.C. Section 1973aa-1a that a political
subdivision must provide election materials in a language other
than English or Spanish, the political subdivision shall provide
election materials in that language in the same manner in which the
political subdivision would be required to provide materials in
Spanish under this chapter, to the extent applicable.
(b) The secretary of state shall prepare the translation for
election materials required to be provided in a language other than
English or Spanish for the following state prescribed voter forms:
(1) voter registration application form required by
Section 13.002;
(2) the confirmation form required by Section 15.051;
(3) the voting instruction poster required by Section
62.011;
(4) the statement of residence form required by
Section 63.0011;
(5) the provisional ballot affidavit required by
Section 63.011;
(6) the application for a ballot by mail required by
Section 84.011;
(7) the carrier envelope and voting instructions
required by Section 86.013; and
(8) any other voter forms that the secretary of state
identifies as frequently used and for which state resources are
otherwise available.
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
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