| 1 | 1 | | 87R7845 MLH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: González of El Paso H.B. No. 2202 |
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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 high school deputy voter registrars. |
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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. Section 13.046, Election Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | amending Subsections (d) and (h) and adding Subsection (e-1) to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (d) At least twice each school year, a high school deputy |
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| 13 | 13 | | registrar shall distribute an officially prescribed registration |
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| 14 | 14 | | application form to each student who is or will be 18 years of age or |
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| 15 | 15 | | older during that year, subject to rules prescribed by the |
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| 16 | 16 | | secretary of state. At least one such distribution must be made not |
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| 17 | 17 | | later than the 31st day before the uniform election date in |
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| 18 | 18 | | November. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (e-1) At least once each school year, the high school deputy |
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| 20 | 20 | | registrar shall provide instruction to the students at the |
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| 21 | 21 | | registrar's school, emphasizing: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) the importance of voting; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) the process of voter registration; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (3) the nature of voting systems; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (4) relevant election dates; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (5) the early voting process; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (6) the regular locations and hours of local polling |
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| 28 | 28 | | places. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (h) The secretary of state shall: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) consult with the Texas Education Agency regarding |
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| 31 | 31 | | the number of registration application forms to provide to each |
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| 32 | 32 | | high school deputy registrar for distribution and provide the forms |
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| 33 | 33 | | at the beginning of each academic year; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) develop and implement a system for monitoring |
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| 35 | 35 | | which high schools complete the requirements under Subsection (d); |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) issue a report at the end of each academic year |
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| 37 | 37 | | describing the degree to which high schools completed the |
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| 38 | 38 | | requirements under Subsection (d); |
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| 39 | 39 | | (4) proactively support high school deputy registrars |
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| 40 | 40 | | in completion of the requirements under Subsection (d), including |
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| 41 | 41 | | public acknowledgement of the high school deputy registrars who |
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| 42 | 42 | | consistently succeed in efforts to register students to vote; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (5) create a standardized training course for high |
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| 44 | 44 | | school deputy registrars to be taken over the Internet to instruct |
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| 45 | 45 | | the registrars in regard to best practices and their duties and |
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| 46 | 46 | | rights, and any other training the secretary sees fit; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (6) prescribe any additional procedures necessary to |
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| 48 | 48 | | implement this section. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022 |
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| 50 | 50 | | school year. |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 52 | 52 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 53 | 53 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 54 | 54 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 55 | 55 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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