| 1 | 1 | | By: Hinojosa H.B. No. 1216 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to the voter registration powers of volunteer deputy |
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| 9 | 9 | | registrars. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 13.032, Election Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 13.032. PROHIBITION ON REFUSING TO APPOINT. A |
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| 14 | 14 | | registrar may not refuse to appoint as a volunteer deputy |
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| 15 | 15 | | registrar: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) a person eligible for appointment under Section |
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| 17 | 17 | | 13.031(d); [or] |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) any person on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, |
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| 19 | 19 | | or national origin or ancestry; or |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) an otherwise eligible person that distributes |
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| 21 | 21 | | voter registration application forms provided by the secretary of |
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| 22 | 22 | | state under Section 13.002 in accordance with any procedures |
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| 23 | 23 | | prescribed under Section 13.038(b). |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Section 13.033(b), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 25 | 25 | | read as follows: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (b) If a person is to be appointed, the registrar shall |
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| 27 | 27 | | prepare a certificate of appointment in duplicate containing: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) the date of appointment; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) the statement: "I, ____________, Voter Registrar |
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| 30 | 30 | | for ____________ County, do hereby appoint ____________ as a |
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| 31 | 31 | | volunteer deputy registrar [for ____________ County]."; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) the person's residence address; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (4) the person's voter registration number, if any; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (5) a statement that the term of the appointment |
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| 35 | 35 | | expires December 31 of an even-numbered year; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (6) a statement that the appointment terminates on the |
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| 37 | 37 | | person's final conviction for an offense for failure to deliver a |
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| 38 | 38 | | registration application and may terminate on the registrar's |
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| 39 | 39 | | determination that the person failed to adequately review a |
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| 40 | 40 | | registration application, intentionally destroyed or physically |
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| 41 | 41 | | altered a registration application, or engaged in any other |
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| 42 | 42 | | activity that conflicts with the responsibilities of a volunteer |
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| 43 | 43 | | deputy registrar under this chapter. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 3. Section 13.037(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 45 | 45 | | read as follows: |
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| 46 | 46 | | (a) A person may not receive compensation from any [the] |
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| 47 | 47 | | county for service as a volunteer deputy registrar unless |
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| 48 | 48 | | compensation is authorized by the commissioners court of that |
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| 49 | 49 | | county. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 4. Section 13.038, Election Code, is amended to |
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| 51 | 51 | | read as follows: |
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| 52 | 52 | | Sec. 13.038. POWERS GENERALLY. (a) A volunteer deputy |
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| 53 | 53 | | registrar may distribute voter registration application forms |
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| 54 | 54 | | throughout the county in which the deputy was appointed and receive |
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| 55 | 55 | | registration applications submitted to the deputy in person. |
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| 56 | 56 | | (b) A volunteer deputy registrar may serve as a volunteer |
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| 57 | 57 | | deputy registrar throughout this state regardless of the county in |
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| 58 | 58 | | which the deputy was appointed. A volunteer deputy registrar may |
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| 59 | 59 | | distribute a voter registration application in the form prescribed |
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| 60 | 60 | | by the secretary of state under Section 31.002 throughout this |
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| 61 | 61 | | state and receive an application in that form submitted to the |
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| 62 | 62 | | deputy in person, regardless of the county in which the application |
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| 63 | 63 | | was printed. The secretary of state shall prescribe procedures to |
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| 64 | 64 | | implement this subsection. |
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| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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