Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1563 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R3833 JRJ-D
2	2	By: Miller of Fort Bend H.B. No. 1563
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the procedures for registering to vote.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 13.002, Election Code, is amended by
10	10	amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (j) to read as
11	11	follows:
12	12	(c) A registration application must include:
13	13	(1) the applicant's first name, middle name, if any,
14	14	last name, and former name, if any;
15	15	(2) the month, day, and year of the applicant's birth;
16	16	(3) a statement that the applicant is a United States
17	17	citizen;
18	18	(4) a statement that the applicant is a resident of the
19	19	county;
20	20	(5) a statement that the applicant has not been
21	21	determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate
22	22	jurisdiction to be:
23	23	(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or
24	24	(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the
25	25	right to vote;
26	26	(6) a statement that the applicant has not been
27	27	finally convicted of a felony or that the applicant is a felon
28	28	eligible for registration under Section 13.001;
29	29	(7) the applicant's residence address or, if the
30	30	residence has no address, the address at which the applicant
31	31	receives mail and a concise description of the location of the
32	32	applicant's residence;
33	33	(8) the following information:
34	34	(A) the applicant's Texas driver's license number
35	35	or the number of a personal identification card issued by the
36	36	Department of Public Safety;
37	37	(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number
38	38	described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's
39	39	social security number; or
40	40	(C) a statement by the applicant that the
41	41	applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or
42	42	(B);
43	43	(9) if the application is made by an agent, a statement
44	44	of the agent's relationship to the applicant; [and]
45	45	(10) the city and county in which the applicant
46	46	formerly resided; and
47	47	(11) a certified copy of a document providing proof
48	48	that the applicant is a United States citizen.
49	49	(j) The following documentation is acceptable as proof of
50	50	citizenship under Subsection (c)(11):
51	51	(1) a birth certificate or other document confirming
52	52	birth as a citizen of the United States that is admissible in a
53	53	court of law;
54	54	(2) United States citizenship documents issued to the
55	55	applicant;
56	56	(3) a United States passport issued to the applicant;
57	57	(4) a Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal
58	58	treaty number, or tribal enrollment number issued to the applicant;
59	59	or
60	60	(5) a United States military record of service
61	61	indicating the applicant's name and the applicant's place of birth
62	62	within the United States.
63	63	SECTION 2. Section 13.071(a), Election Code, is amended to
64	64	read as follows:
65	65	(a) The registrar shall review each submitted application
66	66	for registration to determine whether it complies with Section
67	67	13.002 and indicates that the applicant is a United States citizen
68	68	eligible for registration.
69	69	SECTION 3. Section 13.072(a), Election Code, is amended to
70	70	read as follows:
71	71	(a) Unless the registrar challenges the applicant, the
72	72	registrar shall approve the application if:
73	73	(1) the registrar determines that an application
74	74	complies with Section 13.002 and indicates that the applicant is a
75	75	United States citizen eligible for registration; and
76	76	(2) for an applicant who has not included a statement
77	77	described by Section 13.002(c)(8)(C), the registrar verifies with
78	78	the secretary of state:
79	79	(A) the applicant's Texas driver's license number
80	80	or number of a personal identification card issued by the
81	81	Department of Public Safety; or
82	82	(B) the last four digits of the applicant's
83	83	social security number.
84	84	SECTION 4. Section 13.121(a), Election Code, is amended to
85	85	read as follows:
86	86	(a) The officially prescribed application form for
87	87	registration by mail must be in the form of [a] business reply mail
88	88	[postcard], unless another form or system is used under Subsection
89	89	(b), with postage paid by the state. The secretary of state shall
90	90	design the form to enhance the legibility of its contents.
91	91	SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
92	92	an application to register to vote submitted on or after the
93	93	effective date of this Act.
94	94	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.