86R2760 ADM-D By: Huberty H.B. No. 831 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the residency requirement to be eligible for public office. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 141.001, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows: (a-1) For purposes of satisfying the continuous residency requirement of Subsection (a)(5), a person who claims an intent to return to a residence after a temporary absence may establish that intent only if the person: (1) has made a reasonable and substantive attempt to effectuate that intent; and (2) has a legal right and the practical ability to return to the residence. (a-2) Subsection (a-1) does not apply to a person displaced from the person's residence due to a declared local, state, or national disaster. SECTION 2. This Act applies only to a candidate in an election held on or after the effective date of this Act. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect January 1, 2020.