Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1421 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.B. No. 1421
	1	+	By: Israel, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.B. No. 1421
	2	+	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 16, 2019;
	3	+	April 17, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on State
	4	+	Affairs; May 15, 2019, reported adversely, with favorable
	5	+	Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0;
	6	+	May 15, 2019, sent to printer.)
	7	+	Click here to see the committee vote
	8	+	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 1421 By: Zaffirini
2	9
3	10
	11	+	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
4	12		AN ACT
5	13		relating to cybersecurity of voter registration lists and other
6	14		election-related documents, systems, and technology.
7	15		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	16		SECTION 1. Title 16, Election Code, is amended by adding
9	17		Chapter 279 to read as follows:
10	18		CHAPTER 279. CYBERSECURITY OF ELECTION SYSTEMS
11	19		Sec. 279.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
12	20		(1) "County election officer" means an individual
13	21		employed by a county as an elections administrator, voter
14	22		registrar, county clerk, or other officer with responsibilities
15	23		relating to the administration of elections.
16	24		(2) "Election data" means information that is created
17	25		or managed in the operation of an election system.
18	26		(3) "Election system" means a voting system and the
19	27		technology used to support the conduct of an election, including
20	28		the election data processed or produced in the course of conducting
21	29		an election, such as voter registration information, ballot
22	30		information, collected and tabulated votes, election management
23	31		processes and procedures, and other election-related documents and
24	32		election data.
25	33		Sec. 279.002. ELECTION CYBERSECURITY: SECRETARY OF STATE.
26	34		(a) The secretary of state shall adopt rules defining classes of
27	35		protected election data and establishing best practices for
28	36		identifying and reducing risk to the electronic use, storage, and
29	37		transmission of election data and the security of election systems.
30	38		(b) The secretary of state shall offer training on best
31	39		practices:
32	40		(1) on an annual basis, to all appropriate personnel
33	41		in the secretary of state's office; and
34	42		(2) on request, to county election officers in this
35	43		state.
36	44		(c) If the secretary of state becomes aware of a breach of
37	45		cybersecurity that impacts election data, the secretary shall
38	46		immediately notify the members of the standing committees of each
39	47		house of the legislature with jurisdiction over elections.
40	48		Sec. 279.003. ELECTION CYBERSECURITY: COUNTY ELECTION
41	49		OFFICERS. (a) A county election officer shall annually request
42	50		training on cybersecurity from the secretary of state. The
43	51		secretary of state shall pay the costs associated with the training
44	52		with available state funds.
45	53		(b) A county election officer shall request an assessment of
46	54		the cybersecurity of the county's election system from a provider
47	55		of cybersecurity assessments if the secretary of state recommends
48	56		an assessment and the necessary funds are available.
49	57		(c) If a county election officer becomes aware of a breach
50	58		of cybersecurity that impacts election data, the officer shall
51	59		immediately notify the secretary of state.
52	60		(d) To the extent that state funds are available for the
53	61		purpose, a county election officer shall implement cybersecurity
54	62		measures to ensure that all devices with access to election data
55	63		comply to the highest extent possible with rules adopted by the
56	64		secretary of state under Section 279.002.
57	65		SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
58		-	______________________________ ______________________________
59		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
60		-	I certify that H.B. No. 1421 was passed by the House on April
61		-	16, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 121, Nays 15, 1 present, not
62		-	voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
63		-	No. 1421 on May 23, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 115, Nays 23,
64		-	1 present, not voting.
65		-	______________________________
66		-	Chief Clerk of the House
67		-	I certify that H.B. No. 1421 was passed by the Senate, with
68		-	amendments, on May 21, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays
69		-	0.
70		-	______________________________
71		-	Secretary of the Senate
72		-	APPROVED: __________________
73		-	Date
74		-	__________________
75		-	Governor
	66	+	* * * * *