Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4331 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R15082 JRJ-D
2	2	By: Schaefer H.B. No. 4331
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the verification of citizenship of an applicant for
8	8	voter registration.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 13.002(a), Election Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(a) A person desiring to register to vote must submit an
13	13	application to the registrar of the county in which the person
14	14	resides. Except as provided by Subsection (e), an application must
15	15	be submitted by personal delivery, by mail, or by telephonic
16	16	facsimile machine in accordance with Section 13.143(d-2) [Sections
17	17	13.143(d) and (d-2)].
18	18	SECTION 2. Section 13.046(f), Election Code, is amended to
19	19	read as follows:
20	20	(f) Except as provided by this subsection, Sections
21	21	13.039[, 13.041,] and 13.042 apply to the submission and delivery
22	22	of registration applications under this section, and for that
23	23	purpose, "volunteer deputy registrar" in those sections includes a
24	24	high school deputy registrar. A high school deputy registrar may
25	25	review an application for completeness out of the applicant's
26	26	presence. A deputy may deliver a group of applications to the
27	27	registrar by mail in an envelope or package, and, for the purpose of
28	28	determining compliance with the delivery deadline, an application
29	29	delivered by mail is considered to be delivered at the time of its
30	30	receipt by the registrar.
31	31	SECTION 3. Section 13.071, Election Code, is amended by
32	32	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
33	33	follows:
34	34	(a) The registrar shall review each submitted application
35	35	for registration to determine whether it complies with Section
36	36	13.002 and indicates that the applicant is a United States citizen
37	37	eligible for registration.
38	38	(c) In making a determination under this section, the
39	39	registrar must compare the information on the application for
40	40	registration with information submitted to the secretary of state
41	41	by the Department of Public Safety under Section 18.068(a-1). If
42	42	information combinations identified as common to an applicant and
43	43	to an individual who may not be a citizen constitute a match, the
44	44	registrar shall verify the applicant's citizenship in the same
45	45	manner the registrar verifies a registered voter's citizenship
46	46	under Section 16.0332. The secretary of state shall adopt rules and
47	47	prescribe procedures to implement this subsection.
48	48	SECTION 4. Section 13.143(a), Election Code, is amended to
49	49	read as follows:
50	50	(a) Except as provided by Subsection [Subsections] (b) [and
51	51	(e)], if an applicant's registration application is approved, the
52	52	registration becomes effective on the 30th day after the date the
53	53	application is approved [submitted to the registrar] or on the date
54	54	the applicant becomes 18 years of age, whichever is later.
55	55	SECTION 5. Section 16.0332, Election Code, is amended to
56	56	read as follows:
57	57	Sec. 16.0332. CANCELLATION BECAUSE OF CITIZENSHIP STATUS.
58	58	(a) After the registrar receives notification [a list] under
59	59	Section 18.068 of this code or Section 62.113, Government Code, of
60	60	persons excused or disqualified from jury service because of
61	61	citizenship status or notification under Section 18.068 that a
62	62	person registered to vote in the county may not be a citizen, the
63	63	registrar shall deliver to each registered voter whose name appears
64	64	in the notification [on the list] a written notice requiring the
65	65	voter to submit to the registrar proof of United States citizenship
66	66	in the form of a certified copy of the voter's birth certificate,
67	67	United States passport, or certificate of naturalization or any
68	68	other form prescribed by the secretary of state.
69	69	(a-1) The notice shall be delivered by forwardable mail to
70	70	the mailing address on the voter's registration application and to
71	71	any new address of the voter known to the registrar.
72	72	(b) If a voter fails to submit to the registrar proof of
73	73	citizenship on or before the 30th day after the date the notice is
74	74	mailed, the registrar shall cancel the voter's registration.
75	75	(c) The registrar shall retain a copy of the notice mailed
76	76	to a voter under this section on file with the voter's registration
77	77	application. The registrar shall also retain any proof of
78	78	citizenship received under this section on file with the
79	79	application and send an electronic copy of the proof to the
80	80	secretary of state.
81	81	(d) The secretary of state shall adopt rules and prescribe
82	82	procedures to implement this section.
83	83	SECTION 6. Section 18.068, Election Code, is amended by
84	84	amending Subsections (b) and (d) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
85	85	read as follows:
86	86	(a-1) Once a month on a date specified by the secretary of
87	87	state, the Department of Public Safety shall in accordance with
88	88	Section 730.005(9), Transportation Code, provide to the secretary
89	89	of state available information as determined by the secretary of
90	90	state related to the citizenship of the applicant submitted on an
91	91	application for a driver's license or personal identification card
92	92	issued by the department. Periodically, the secretary of state
93	93	shall compare the information received to the statewide
94	94	computerized voter registration list. If the secretary determines
95	95	that a voter on the registration list may not be a citizen, the
96	96	secretary shall send notice of the determination to the voter
97	97	registrar of the counties considered appropriate by the secretary.
98	98	(b) The secretary of state shall by rule determine what
99	99	information combinations identified as common to a voter and to an
100	100	individual for whom the secretary of state has received information
101	101	under this section [who is deceased] constitute a weak match or a
102	102	strong match in order to:
103	103	(1) produce the least possible impact on Texas voters;
104	104	and
105	105	(2) fulfill its responsibility to manage the voter
106	106	rolls.
107	107	(d) On receiving notification from the secretary of state
108	108	under Subsection (c) that a weak match of identifying information
109	109	exists for a county voter and an individual who is deceased, or
110	110	notification under Subsection (a-1) that a match exists for a
111	111	county voter and an individual who may not be a citizen, the county
112	112	shall investigate whether the voter is the individual who is
113	113	deceased or whether the voter is a citizen, as applicable.
114	114	SECTION 7. Sections 13.041 and 13.143(d) and (e), Election
115	115	Code, are repealed.
116	116	SECTION 8. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
117	117	an application to register to vote submitted on or after the
118	118	effective date of this Act.
119	119	SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.