| 1 | 1 | | 85R1760 SRS-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Garcia S.B. No. 145 |
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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 a voter education program for high school seniors. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 31, Election Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 31.013 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 31.013. VOTER EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL |
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| 12 | 12 | | SENIORS. (a) The secretary of state, in consultation with the |
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| 13 | 13 | | commissioner of education, shall develop a nonpartisan voter |
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| 14 | 14 | | education program designed to be presented to high school seniors. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) The voter education program developed under Subsection |
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| 16 | 16 | | (a) must: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) provide information concerning: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (A) the importance of voting; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (B) the manner in which a person may register to |
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| 20 | 20 | | vote in this state; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (C) the manner in which a person may vote using |
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| 22 | 22 | | the voting systems most commonly used in this state; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (D) election dates, as provided under Chapter 41; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (E) the hours polls are open; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (F) early voting; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (G) how to determine the correct polling place; |
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| 27 | 27 | | and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) provide an opportunity, during the period in which |
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| 29 | 29 | | the program is being presented, for students to complete voter |
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| 30 | 30 | | registration application forms. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (c) Once each year, at the request of an administrator of a |
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| 32 | 32 | | public or private high school, the county clerk for the county in |
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| 33 | 33 | | which the school is located, or the clerk's designee, may present |
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| 34 | 34 | | the program to high school seniors at the school. The program must |
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| 35 | 35 | | be presented at school during regular school hours. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 37 | 37 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 38 | 38 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 39 | 39 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 40 | 40 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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