89R3652 TSS-D
By: Hopper H.B. No. 2332
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the appearance of a personal identification certificate
or driver's license issued to a person who is a citizen of the
United States and to the use of the certificate or license in
certain election processes in this state.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 13.002(c), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) A registration application must include:
(1) the applicant's first name, middle name, if any,
last name, and former name, if any;
(2) the month, day, and year of the applicant's birth;
(3) a statement that the applicant is a United States
citizen;
(4) a statement that the applicant is a resident of the
county;
(5) a statement that the applicant has not been
determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate
jurisdiction to be:
(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or
(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the
right to vote;
(6) a statement that the applicant has not been
finally convicted of a felony or that the applicant is a felon
eligible for registration under Section 13.001;
(7) the applicant's residence address or, if the
residence has no address, the address at which the applicant
receives mail and a concise description of the location of the
applicant's residence;
(8) the following information:
(A) the number of a [applicant's] Texas driver's
license [number] or [the number of a] personal identification card
issued to the applicant by the Department of Public Safety and
displaying the "CERTIFIED TEXAN" designator;
(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number
described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's
social security number; or
(C) a statement by the applicant that the
applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or
(B);
(9) if the application is made by an agent, a statement
of the agent's relationship to the applicant; and
(10) the city and county in which the applicant
formerly resided.
SECTION 2. Section 13.072(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Unless the registrar challenges the applicant, the
registrar shall approve the application if:
(1) the registrar determines that an application
complies with Section 13.002 and indicates that the applicant is
eligible for registration; and
(2) for an applicant who has not included a statement
described by Section 13.002(c)(8)(C), the registrar verifies with
the secretary of state:
(A) that the [applicant's] Texas driver's license
number or number of a personal identification card provided by the
applicant corresponds to a license or card issued to the applicant
by the Department of Public Safety and displays the "CERTIFIED
TEXAN" designator; or
(B) the last four digits of the applicant's
social security number.
SECTION 3. Section 63.0101(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The following documentation is an acceptable form of
photo identification under this chapter:
(1) a driver's license, election identification
certificate, or personal identification card issued to the person
by the Department of Public Safety that:
(A) displays the "CERTIFIED TEXAN" designator;
and
(B) has not expired or that expired no earlier
than four years before the date of presentation;
(2) [a United States military identification card that
contains the person's photograph that has not expired or that
expired no earlier than four years before the date of presentation;
[(3)] a United States citizenship certificate issued
to the person that contains the person's photograph;
(3) [(4)] a United States passport book or card issued
to the person that has not expired or that expired no earlier than
four years before the date of presentation; or
(4) [(5)] a license to carry a handgun issued to the
person by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired or
that expired no earlier than four years before the date of
presentation.
SECTION 4. Section 84.002(a), Election Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) An early voting ballot application must include:
(1) the applicant's name and the address at which the
applicant is registered to vote;
(1-a) the following information:
(A) the number of a [the applicant's] driver's
license or personal identification card issued to the applicant by
the Department of Public Safety and displaying the "CERTIFIED
TEXAN" designator or of an [,] election identification certificate
[, or personal identification card] issued to the applicant by the
Department of Public Safety;
(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number
described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's
social security number; or
(C) a statement by the applicant that the
applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or
(B);
(2) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the address
outside the applicant's county of residence to which the ballot is
to be mailed;
(3) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
on the ground of age or disability, the address of the hospital,
nursing home or other long-term care facility, or retirement
center, or of a person related to the applicant within the second
degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity, as
determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, if the applicant is
living at that address and that address is different from the
address at which the applicant is registered to vote;
(4) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
on the ground of confinement in jail, the address of the jail or of a
person related to the applicant within the degree described by
Subdivision (3);
(5) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
on any ground, an indication of each election for which the
applicant is applying for a ballot;
(6) an indication of the ground of eligibility for
early voting; and
(7) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
on the ground of involuntary civil commitment, the address of the
facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil
Commitment Office or of a person related to the applicant within the
degree of consanguinity described by Subdivision (3).
SECTION 5. Subchapter E, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,
is amended by adding Section 521.1017 to read as follows:
Sec. 521.1017. CERTIFIED TEXAN DESIGNATOR. If, at the time
a person applies for a personal identification certificate, the
person provides a copy of a birth certificate issued for the person
within the United States, a Certificate of United States
Citizenship, a Certificate of Naturalization, a United States
Citizen Identification Card, or another document denoting the
person is a United States citizen issued by the federal Department
of Homeland Security or the United States Department of State that
includes an identification photograph, the personal identification
certificate issued to the person must display a large designator
with a stamp-like appearance reading "CERTIFIED TEXAN".
SECTION 6. Subchapter F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,
is amended by adding Section 521.1225 to read as follows:
Sec. 521.1225. CERTIFIED TEXAN DESIGNATOR. If, at the time
a person applies for a driver's license, the person provides a copy
of a birth certificate issued for the person within the United
States, a Certificate of United States Citizenship, a Certificate
of Naturalization, a United States Citizen Identification Card, or
another document denoting the person is a United States citizen
issued by the federal Department of Homeland Security or the United
States Department of State that includes an identification
photograph, the driver's license issued to the person must display
a large designator with a stamp-like appearance reading "CERTIFIED
TEXAN".
SECTION 7. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
13.002, 13.072, 63.0101, and 84.002, Election Code, and Subchapters
E and F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code, apply only to a personal
identification certificate or driver's license issued or renewed on
or after the effective date of this Act. A personal identification
certificate or driver's license issued or renewed before the
effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the
certificate or license was issued or renewed, and the former law is
continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.