| 1 | 1 | | 89R3949 JDK-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Vo H.B. No. 1296 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the voter registration of naturalized United States |
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| 10 | 10 | | citizens. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 13.002(a), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 13 | 13 | | read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a) Except as provided by Section 13.009, a [A] person |
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| 15 | 15 | | desiring to register to vote must submit an application to the |
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| 16 | 16 | | registrar of the county in which the person resides. Except as |
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| 17 | 17 | | provided by Subsection (e), an application must be submitted by |
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| 18 | 18 | | personal delivery, by mail, or by telephonic facsimile machine in |
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| 19 | 19 | | accordance with Sections 13.143(d) and (d-2). |
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| 20 | 20 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is |
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| 21 | 21 | | amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 13.009. VOTER REGISTRATION OF NATURALIZED CITIZEN. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (a) The voter registrar of each county shall automatically |
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| 24 | 24 | | register a resident of the county who is eligible to vote as |
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| 25 | 25 | | provided by Section 13.001 upon issuance of a certificate of |
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| 26 | 26 | | naturalization by the United States Citizenship and Immigration |
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| 27 | 27 | | Services. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) For the purposes of Subsection (a), the Department of |
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| 29 | 29 | | Public Safety may, in cooperation with the United States |
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| 30 | 30 | | Citizenship and Immigration Services, establish a procedure by |
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| 31 | 31 | | which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services |
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| 32 | 32 | | notifies the department when a person lawfully present in this |
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| 33 | 33 | | state is issued a certificate of naturalization. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) A procedure established under Subsection (b) must |
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| 35 | 35 | | require the Department of Public Safety to provide the information |
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| 36 | 36 | | received from the United States Citizenship and Immigration |
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| 37 | 37 | | Services to the appropriate county registrar. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (d) If the United States Citizenship and Immigration |
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| 39 | 39 | | Services fails to notify the Department of Public Safety that a |
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| 40 | 40 | | person lawfully present in this state has been issued a certificate |
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| 41 | 41 | | of naturalization, the newly naturalized citizen may present the |
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| 42 | 42 | | certificate of naturalization to the appropriate county registrar |
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| 43 | 43 | | in satisfaction of Section 13.002(c)(3). The registrar shall |
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| 44 | 44 | | assist the person in registering to vote. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (e) The secretary of state may adopt rules to implement this |
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| 46 | 46 | | section as necessary. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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