Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2291 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R9063 MLH-D
2	2	By: Dutton H.B. No. 2291
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to eligibility requirements for public office and to the
8	8	form of an application for a place on the ballot.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Felon Candidacy
11	11	Disambiguation Act.
12	12	SECTION 2. Section 141.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(a) To be eligible to be a candidate for, or elected or
15	15	appointed to, a public elective office in this state, a person must:
16	16	(1) be a United States citizen;
17	17	(2) be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the
18	18	term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as
19	19	applicable;
20	20	(3) have not been determined by a final judgment of a
21	21	court exercising probate jurisdiction to be:
22	22	(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or
23	23	(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the
24	24	right to vote;
25	25	(4) have not been finally convicted of a felony for
26	26	[from] which the person has not provided documentation under
27	27	Section 141.031(e) that the person has been pardoned or otherwise
28	28	released from the resulting disabilities;
29	29	(5) have resided continuously in the state for 12
30	30	months and in the territory from which the office is elected for six
31	31	months immediately preceding the following date:
32	32	(A) for a candidate whose name is to appear on a
33	33	general primary election ballot, the date of the regular filing
34	34	deadline for a candidate's application for a place on the ballot;
35	35	(B) for an independent candidate, the date of the
36	36	regular filing deadline for a candidate's application for a place
37	37	on the ballot;
38	38	(C) for a write-in candidate, the date of the
39	39	election at which the candidate's name is written in;
40	40	(D) for a party nominee who is nominated by any
41	41	method other than by primary election, the date the nomination is
42	42	made; and
43	43	(E) for an appointee to an office, the date the
44	44	appointment is made;
45	45	(6) on the date described by Subdivision (5), be
46	46	registered to vote in the territory from which the office is
47	47	elected; and
48	48	(7) satisfy any other eligibility requirements
49	49	prescribed by law for the office.
50	50	SECTION 3. Section 141.031, Election Code, is amended by
51	51	adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
52	52	(e) In support of the statement required by Subsection
53	53	(a)(4)(G), a candidate shall provide a certified copy of the
54	54	candidate's pardon or other documentation evincing removal of
55	55	disability.
56	56	SECTION 4. Section 141.039, Election Code, is amended to
57	57	read as follows:
58	58	Sec. 141.039. OFFICIAL APPLICATION FORM. In addition to
59	59	the other statements and spaces for entering information that
60	60	appear on an officially prescribed form for an application for a
61	61	place on the ballot, each official form for an application that a
62	62	candidate is required to file under this code must include:
63	63	(1) a space for indicating the form in which the
64	64	candidate's name is to appear on the ballot;
65	65	(2) a space for the candidate's public mailing
66	66	address;
67	67	(3) spaces for the candidate's home and office
68	68	telephone numbers and e-mail address at which the candidate
69	69	receives correspondence relating to the candidate's campaign;
70	70	[and]
71	71	(4) a statement informing candidates that the
72	72	furnishing of the telephone numbers is optional; and
73	73	(5) a notice adjacent to the statement required by
74	74	Section 141.031(a)(4)(G), printed in boldfaced type and capital
75	75	letters, that reads: "RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS IS NOT THE SAME
76	76	AS REMOVAL OF DISABILITY FOR PURPOSES OF SATISFYING ELIGIBILITY
77	77	REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.".
78	78	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.