Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4034 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.B. No. 4034
	1	+	By: Bohac (Senate Sponsor - Bettencourt) H.B. No. 4034
	2	+	(In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 2017;
	3	+	May 10, 2017, read first time and referred to Committee on State
	4	+	Affairs; May 19, 2017, reported adversely, with favorable
	5	+	Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0;
	6	+	May 19, 2017, sent to printer.)
	7	+	Click here to see the committee vote
	8	+	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 4034 By: Huffman
2	9
3	10
	11	+	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
4	12		AN ACT
5	13		relating to certain voter registration information.
6	14		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
7	15		SECTION 1. Section 13.004(c-1), Election Code, is amended
8	16		to read as follows:
9	17		(c-1) The registrar shall ensure that the information
10	18		listed in Subsection (c) is excluded from disclosure, except that
11	19		the registrar shall forward to the county chair of each county
12	20		executive committee the information necessary to contact
13	21		applicants who indicate interest in working as an election judge.
14	22		SECTION 2. Section 16.031(a), Election Code, is amended to
15	23		read as follows:
16	24		(a) The registrar shall cancel a voter's registration
17	25		immediately on receipt of:
18	26		(1) notice under Section 13.072(b) or 15.021 or a
19	27		response under Section 15.053 that the voter's residence is outside
20	28		the county;
21	29		(2) an abstract of the voter's death certificate under
22	30		Section 16.001(a) or an abstract of an application indicating that
23	31		the voter is deceased under Section 16.001(b);
24	32		(3) an abstract of a final judgment of the voter's
25	33		total mental incapacity, partial mental incapacity without the
26	34		right to vote, conviction of a felony, or disqualification under
27	35		Section 16.002, 16.003, or 16.004;
28	36		(4) notice under Section 112.012 that the voter has
29	37		applied for a limited ballot in another county;
30	38		(5) notice from a voter registration official in
31	39		another state that the voter has registered to vote outside this
32	40		state;
33	41		(6) notice from the early voting clerk under Section
34	42		101.053 [101.0041] that a federal postcard application submitted by
35	43		an applicant states a voting residence address located outside the
36	44		registrar's county; or
37	45		(7) notice from the secretary of state that the voter
38	46		has registered to vote in another county, as determined by the
39	47		voter's driver's license number or personal identification card
40	48		number issued by the Department of Public Safety or social security
41	49		number.
42	50		SECTION 3. Section 18.061(c), Election Code, is amended to
43	51		read as follows:
44	52		(c) Under procedures prescribed by the secretary of state,
45	53		each voter registrar shall provide to the secretary of state on an
46	54		expedited basis the information necessary to maintain the
47	55		registration list established under Subsection (a). The procedures
48	56		shall provide for the electronic submission of the information and
49	57		ensure that each voter registrar collects and reports the correct
50	58		month, day, and year of birth for each registered voter.
51	59		SECTION 4. Subchapter C, Chapter 18, Election Code, is
52	60		amended by adding Section 18.0681 to read as follows:
53	61		Sec. 18.0681. SECRETARY OF STATE AUTHORITY TO ELIMINATE
54	62		DUPLICATE REGISTRATION RECORDS. (a) The secretary of state shall
55	63		periodically compare the information regarding voters maintained
56	64		as part of the statewide computerized voter registration list to
57	65		determine whether any voters have more than one voter registration
58	66		record on file.
59	67		(b) The secretary of state shall by rule determine what
60	68		information combinations identified as common to more than one
61	69		registration record constitute a weak match or a strong match in
62	70		order to:
63	71		(1) produce the least possible impact on Texas voters;
64	72		and
65	73		(2) fulfill its responsibility to manage the voter
66	74		rolls.
67	75		(c) The secretary of state may not determine that a voter
68	76		has more than one registration record based on a weak match. The
69	77		secretary of state may inform the county of the voter's residence
70	78		that a weak match exists.
71	79		(d) If the secretary of state determines that a voter on the
72	80		registration list has more than one registration record on file
73	81		based on a strong match, the secretary shall send notice of the
74	82		determination to the voter registrar of each county in which the
75	83		voter is registered to vote. If the voter records identified are:
76	84		(1) located in the same county, the voter registrar
77	85		may merge the records following a determination that each record
78	86		belongs to the same voter using the procedure for the correction of
79	87		registration records under Section 15.022; or
80	88		(2) located in more than one county, the registrar of
81	89		the county with the oldest record may deliver a written
82	90		confirmation notice in accordance with Section 15.051.
83	91		SECTION 5. Section 19.002(d), Election Code, is amended to
84	92		read as follows:
85	93		(d) The secretary of state may not make a payment under
86	94		Subsection (b) if on June 1 of the year in which the payment is to be
87	95		made the registrar is not in substantial compliance with Section
88	96		15.083, 16.031, 16.032, or 18.065 or with rules implementing the
89	97		registration service program.
90	98		SECTION 6. Subchapter A, Chapter 84, Election Code, is
91	99		amended by adding Section 84.014 to read as follows:
92	100		Sec. 84.014. ACTION BY EARLY VOTING CLERK ON CERTAIN
93	101		APPLICATIONS. If an applicant provides a date of birth, driver's
94	102		license number, or social security number on the applicant's
95	103		application for an early voting ballot to be voted by mail that is
96	104		different from or in addition to the information maintained by the
97	105		voter registrar in accordance with Title 2, the early voting clerk
98	106		shall notify the voter registrar. The voter registrar shall update
99	107		the voter's record with the information provided by the applicant.
100	108		SECTION 7. Section 101.053, Election Code, is amended to
101	109		read as follows:
102	110		Sec. 101.053. ACTION BY EARLY VOTING CLERK ON CERTAIN
103	111		APPLICATIONS. (a) The early voting clerk shall notify the voter
104	112		registrar of a federal postcard application submitted by an
105	113		applicant that states a voting residence address located outside
106	114		the registrar's county.
107	115		(b) If an applicant provides a date of birth, driver's
108	116		license number, or social security number on the applicant's
109	117		federal postcard application that is different from or in addition
110	118		to the information maintained by the voter registrar in accordance
111	119		with Title 2, the early voting clerk shall notify the voter
112	120		registrar. The voter registrar shall update the voter's record
113	121		with the information provided by the applicant.
114	122		SECTION 8. Section 62.0132(g), Government Code, is amended
115	123		to read as follows:
116	124		(g) The information contained in a completed questionnaire
117	125		may be disclosed to:
118	126		(1) a judge assigned to hear a cause of action in which
119	127		the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential juror;
120	128		(2) court personnel; [and]
121	129		(3) a litigant and a litigant's attorney in a cause of
122	130		action in which the respondent to the questionnaire is a potential
123	131		juror; and
124	132		(4) other than information provided that is related to
125	133		Section 62.102(8) or (9), the voter registrar of a county in
126	134		connection with any matter of voter registration or the
127	135		administration of elections.
128	136		SECTION 9. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
129	137		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
130	138		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
131	139		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
132	140		Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
133		-	______________________________ ______________________________
134		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
135		-	I certify that H.B. No. 4034 was passed by the House on May 9,
136		-	2017, by the following vote: Yeas 145, Nays 0, 2 present, not
137		-	voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
138		-	No. 4034 on May 26, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 141, Nays 1,
139		-	2 present, not voting.
140		-	______________________________
141		-	Chief Clerk of the House
142		-	I certify that H.B. No. 4034 was passed by the Senate, with
143		-	amendments, on May 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays
144		-	0.
145		-	______________________________
146		-	Secretary of the Senate
147		-	APPROVED: __________________
148		-	Date
149		-	__________________
150		-	Governor
	141	+	* * * * *