Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2979 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R21642 PRL-D
2	2	By: Garcia H.B. No. 2979
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2979:
4	4	By: Wilson C.S.H.B. No. 2979
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to an indication on a voter's voter registration
10	10	certificate that a voter is a veteran.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 13.122(a), Election Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(a) In addition to the other statements and spaces for
15	15	entering information that appear on an officially prescribed
16	16	registration application form, each official form must include:
17	17	(1) the statement: "I understand that giving false
18	18	information to procure a voter registration is perjury and a crime
19	19	under state and federal law.";
20	20	(2) a space for the applicant's registration number;
21	21	(3) a space for the applicant's Texas driver's license
22	22	number or number of a personal identification card issued by the
23	23	Department of Public Safety;
24	24	(4) a space for the applicant's telephone number;
25	25	(5) a space for the applicant's social security
26	26	number;
27	27	(6) a space for the applicant's sex;
28	28	(7) a statement indicating that the furnishing of the
29	29	applicant's telephone number and sex is optional;
30	30	(8) a space or box for indicating whether the
31	31	applicant or voter is submitting new registration information or a
32	32	change in current registration information;
33	33	(9) a statement instructing a voter who is using the
34	34	form to make a change in current registration information to enter
35	35	the voter's name and the changed information in the appropriate
36	36	spaces on the form;
37	37	(10) a statement that if the applicant declines to
38	38	register to vote, that fact will remain confidential and will be
39	39	used only for voter registration purposes;
40	40	(11) a statement that if the applicant does register
41	41	to vote, information regarding the agency or office to which the
42	42	application is submitted will remain confidential and will be used
43	43	only for voter registration purposes;
44	44	(12) a space or box for indicating whether the
45	45	applicant is interested in working as an election judge;
46	46	(13) a statement warning that a conviction for making
47	47	a false statement may result in imprisonment for up to the maximum
48	48	amount of time provided by law, a fine of up to the maximum amount
49	49	provided by law, or both the imprisonment and the fine; [and]
50	50	(14) a space or box for indicating whether the
51	51	applicant served in the United States armed forces, including their
52	52	reserve components, an auxiliary service of one of the branches of
53	53	the armed forces, or the state military forces, and a statement
54	54	acknowledging that this information is publicly available
55	55	information; and
56	56	(15) [(14)] any other voter registration information
57	57	required by federal law or considered appropriate and required by
58	58	the secretary of state.
59	59	SECTION 2. Section 15.001(a), Election Code, is amended to
60	60	read as follows:
61	61	(a) Each voter registration certificate issued must
62	62	contain:
63	63	(1) the voter's name in the form indicated by the
64	64	voter, subject to applicable requirements prescribed by Section
65	65	13.002 and by rule of the secretary of state;
66	66	(2) the voter's residence address or, if the residence
67	67	has no address, the address at which the voter receives mail and a
68	68	concise description of the location of the voter's residence;
69	69	(3) the year of the voter's birth;
70	70	(4) the number of the county election precinct in
71	71	which the voter resides;
72	72	(5) the voter's effective date of registration if an
73	73	initial certificate;
74	74	(6) the voter's registration number;
75	75	(7) an indication of the period for which the
76	76	certificate is issued;
77	77	(8) a statement explaining the circumstances under
78	78	which the voter will receive a new certificate;
79	79	(9) a space for stamping the voter's political party
80	80	affiliation;
81	81	(10) a statement that voting with the certificate by a
82	82	person other than the person in whose name the certificate is issued
83	83	is a felony;
84	84	(11) a space for the voter's signature;
85	85	(12) a statement that the voter must sign the
86	86	certificate personally, if able to sign, immediately on receipt;
87	87	(13) a space for the voter to correct the information
88	88	on the certificate followed by a signature line;
89	89	(14) the statement: "If any information on this
90	90	certificate changes or is incorrect, correct the information in the
91	91	space provided, sign below, and return this certificate to the
92	92	voter registrar.";
93	93	(15) the registrar's mailing address and telephone
94	94	number; [and]
95	95	(16) the jurisdictional or distinguishing number for
96	96	the following territorial units in which the voter resides, as
97	97	determined by the voter registrar:
98	98	(A) congressional district;
99	99	(B) state senatorial district;
100	100	(C) state representative district;
101	101	(D) commissioners precinct;
102	102	(E) justice precinct;
103	103	(F) city election precinct; and
104	104	(G) school district election precinct; and
105	105	(17) an indication that the voter is a "veteran," if
106	106	the voter stated on the voter's registration application that the
107	107	voter served in the United States armed forces, including their
108	108	reserve components, an auxiliary service of one of the branches of
109	109	the armed forces, or the state military forces.
110	110	SECTION 3. Section 18.005(a), Election Code, is amended to
111	111	read as follows:
112	112	(a) Each original and supplemental list of registered
113	113	voters must:
114	114	(1) contain the voter's name, date of birth, and
115	115	registration number as provided by the statewide computerized voter
116	116	registration list;
117	117	(2) contain the voter's residence address, except as
118	118	provided by Subsections (b) and (c);
119	119	(3) be arranged alphabetically by voter name; [and]
120	120	(4) contain the notation required by Section 15.111;
121	121	and
122	122	(5) contain an indication that the voter is a
123	123	"veteran," if the voter stated on the voter's registration
124	124	application that the voter served in the United States armed
125	125	forces, including their reserve components, an auxiliary service of
126	126	one of the branches of the armed forces, or the state military
127	127	forces.
128	128	SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act to Section
129	129	13.122(a), Election Code, applies only to a voter registration
130	130	application distributed on or after September 1, 2023. A voter
131	131	registration application distributed before September 1, 2023, is
132	132	covered by the law in effect when the application was distributed,
133	133	and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
134	134	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.