| 1 | 1 | | 85R7906 SRS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Thompson of Harris H.B. No. 1307 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to qualifications and registration of certain voters on |
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| 8 | 8 | | probation. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 11.002(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) In this code, "qualified voter" means a person who: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) is 18 years of age or older; |
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| 14 | 14 | | (2) is a United States citizen; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (3) has not been determined by a final judgment of a |
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| 16 | 16 | | court exercising probate jurisdiction to be: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (A) totally mentally incapacitated; or |
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| 18 | 18 | | (B) partially mentally incapacitated without the |
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| 19 | 19 | | right to vote; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (4) has not been finally convicted of a felony or, if |
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| 21 | 21 | | so convicted, has: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) completed [fully discharged the person's |
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| 23 | 23 | | sentence, including] any term of incarceration[, parole,] or |
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| 24 | 24 | | community supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered |
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| 25 | 25 | | by any court; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) served at least 10 consecutive years of |
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| 27 | 27 | | parole or mandatory supervision; or |
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| 28 | 28 | | (C) [(B)] been pardoned or otherwise released |
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| 29 | 29 | | from the resulting disability to vote; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (5) is a resident of this state; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (6) is a registered voter. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 2. Section 13.001(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 33 | 33 | | read as follows: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (a) To be eligible for registration as a voter in this |
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| 35 | 35 | | state, a person must: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (1) be 18 years of age or older; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) be a United States citizen; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (3) not have been determined by a final judgment of a |
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| 39 | 39 | | court exercising probate jurisdiction to be: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (A) totally mentally incapacitated; or |
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| 41 | 41 | | (B) partially mentally incapacitated without the |
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| 42 | 42 | | right to vote; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) not have been finally convicted of a felony or, if |
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| 44 | 44 | | so convicted, must have: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (A) completed [fully discharged the person's |
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| 46 | 46 | | sentence, including] any term of incarceration[, parole,] or |
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| 47 | 47 | | community supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered |
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| 48 | 48 | | by any court; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (B) served at least 10 consecutive years of |
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| 50 | 50 | | parole or mandatory supervision; or |
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| 51 | 51 | | (C) [(B)] been pardoned or otherwise released |
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| 52 | 52 | | from the resulting disability to vote; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | (5) be a resident of the county in which application |
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| 54 | 54 | | for registration is made. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 56 | 56 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 57 | 57 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 58 | 58 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 59 | 59 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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