| 1 | 1 | | 86R4728 GRM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Israel H.B. No. 1184 |
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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 the deadline for submitting an application for a ballot |
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| 8 | 8 | | to be voted by mail. |
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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 84.007(c), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (c) Except as provided by Section 86.0015(b), an |
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| 13 | 13 | | application may be submitted at any time in the year of the election |
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| 14 | 14 | | for which a ballot is requested, but not later than 5 p.m. [the |
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| 15 | 15 | | close of regular business in the early voting clerk's office or 12 |
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| 16 | 16 | | noon, whichever is later,] on the 11th day before election day |
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| 17 | 17 | | unless that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state or national |
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| 18 | 18 | | holiday, in which case the last day is the first preceding regular |
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| 19 | 19 | | business day. For purposes of this subsection, an application for a |
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| 20 | 20 | | ballot to be voted by mail deposited in a post office box before the |
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| 21 | 21 | | post office box is last inspected for removal of mail on the next |
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| 22 | 22 | | business day after the day described above is considered timely |
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| 23 | 23 | | submitted. |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Section 84.008(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 25 | 25 | | read as follows: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) An applicant for a ballot to be voted by mail may submit |
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| 27 | 27 | | the application by delivering it in person to the early voting clerk |
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| 28 | 28 | | if the application is submitted not later than 5 p.m. on the 11th |
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| 29 | 29 | | day before election day unless that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or |
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| 30 | 30 | | legal state or national holiday, in which case the last day is the |
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| 31 | 31 | | first preceding regular business day [the close of regular business |
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| 32 | 32 | | in the clerk's office on the day before the first day of the period |
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| 33 | 33 | | for early voting by personal appearance]. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 3. Section 86.0015(b-1), Election Code, is amended |
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| 35 | 35 | | to read as follows: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b-1) An application submitted under this section must be |
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| 37 | 37 | | submitted before 5 p.m. [the close of regular business in the early |
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| 38 | 38 | | voting clerk's office or 12 noon, whichever is later,] on the 11th |
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| 39 | 39 | | day before election day unless that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or |
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| 40 | 40 | | legal state or national holiday, in which case the last day is the |
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| 41 | 41 | | first preceding regular business day. For purposes of this |
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| 42 | 42 | | subsection, an application for a ballot to be voted by mail |
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| 43 | 43 | | deposited in a post office box before the post office box is last |
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| 44 | 44 | | inspected for removal of mail on the next business day after the day |
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| 45 | 45 | | described above is considered timely submitted. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 47 | 47 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 48 | 48 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 49 | 49 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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