Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB304 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R21790 TSS-F
2	2	By: Guillen, et al. H.B. No. 304
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 304:
4	4	By: Shaheen C.S.H.B. No. 304
5	5
6	6
7	7
8	8
9	9	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
10	10	AN ACT
11	11	relating to the procedure for accepting a voter who presents as
12	12	identification a personal identification certificate, driver's
13	13	license, or commercial driver's license issued to the voter that
14	14	indicates the voter has not presented proof of the voter's United
15	15	States citizenship to the Department of Public Safety.
16	16	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
17	17	SECTION 1. Chapter 63, Election Code, is amended by adding
18	18	Section 63.0014 to read as follows:
19	19	Sec. 63.0014. ACCEPTING VOTERS WITH LIMITED VALIDITY FOR
20	20	VOTING DESIGNATOR. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of
21	21	this code, a voter who presents a personal identification
22	22	certificate, driver's license, or commercial driver's license as
23	23	photo identification with a designator reading "VALID FOR VOTING
24	24	ONLY WITH VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY" may only be accepted for
25	25	voting if the voter also presents proof of the voter's United States
26	26	citizenship.
27	27	(b) If the requirements of Subsection (a) are not met, the
28	28	voter may be accepted for provisional voting only under Section
29	29	63.011. For a voter who is not accepted for voting under this
30	30	section, an election officer shall:
31	31	(1) inform the voter of the voter's right to cast a
32	32	provisional ballot under Section 63.011; and
33	33	(2) provide the voter with written information, in a
34	34	form prescribed by the secretary of state, that:
35	35	(A) lists the requirements for identification;
36	36	(B) states the procedure for presenting
37	37	identification under Section 65.0541;
38	38	(C) includes a map showing the location where
39	39	identification must be presented; and
40	40	(D) includes notice that if all procedures are
41	41	followed and the voter is found to be eligible to vote and is voting
42	42	in the correct precinct, the voter's provisional ballot will be
43	43	accepted.
44	44	SECTION 2. Section 63.011(a), Election Code, is amended to
45	45	read as follows:
46	46	(a) A person to whom Section 63.001(g), 63.0014(b), or
47	47	63.009 applies may cast a provisional ballot if the person executes
48	48	an affidavit stating that the person:
49	49	(1) is a registered voter in the precinct in which the
50	50	person seeks to vote; and
51	51	(2) is eligible to vote in the election.
52	52	SECTION 3. Section 65.0541(a), Election Code, is amended to
53	53	read as follows:
54	54	(a) A voter who is accepted for provisional voting under
55	55	Section 63.011 because the voter does not meet the identification
56	56	requirements of Section 63.001(b) or 63.0014 may, not later than
57	57	the sixth day after the date of the election do one of the
58	58	following, as applicable:
59	59	(1) present a form of identification described by
60	60	Section 63.0101 to the voter registrar for examination; [or]
61	61	(2) execute an affidavit described by Section
62	62	65.054(b)(2)(B) or (C) in the presence of the voter registrar; or
63	63	(3) present proof of the voter's United States
64	64	citizenship.
65	65	SECTION 4. Subchapter E, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,
66	66	is amended by adding Section 521.1017 to read as follows:
67	67	Sec. 521.1017. LIMITED VALIDITY FOR VOTING DESIGNATOR. If,
68	68	at the time a person applies for a personal identification
69	69	certificate, the person does not provide proof of the person's
70	70	United States citizenship, the personal identification certificate
71	71	issued to the person must display on the back of the certificate a
72	72	designator reading "VALID FOR VOTING ONLY WITH VERIFICATION OF
73	73	ELIGIBILITY."
74	74	SECTION 5. Subchapter F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,
75	75	is amended by adding Section 521.1225 to read as follows:
76	76	Sec. 521.1225. LIMITED VALIDITY FOR VOTING DESIGNATOR. If,
77	77	at the time a person applies for a driver's license, the person does
78	78	not provide proof of the person's United States citizenship, the
79	79	driver's license issued to the person must display on the back of
80	80	the license a designator reading "VALID FOR VOTING ONLY WITH
81	81	VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY."
82	82	SECTION 6. Section 521.126, Transportation Code, is amended
83	83	by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
84	84	(a-1) The electronically readable information derived from
85	85	a driver's license, commercial driver's license, or personal
86	86	identification certificate must include whether the license or
87	87	certificate displays a limited validity for voting designator
88	88	required under Section 521.1017, 521.1225, or 522.030(e).
89	89	SECTION 7. Section 522.030, Transportation Code, is amended
90	90	by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
91	91	(e) The department shall include on each commercial
92	92	driver's license issued under this chapter to a person who did not
93	93	provide proof of the person's United States citizenship at the time
94	94	the person applied for the license a designator displayed on the
95	95	back of the license reading "VALID FOR VOTING ONLY WITH
96	96	VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY."
97	97	SECTION 8. The changes in law made by this Act to
98	98	Subchapters E and F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code, and Section
99	99	522.030, Transportation Code, apply only to a personal
100	100	identification certificate, driver's license, or commercial
101	101	driver's license issued or renewed on or after the effective date of
102	102	this Act. A personal identification certificate, driver's license,
103	103	or commercial driver's license issued or renewed before the
104	104	effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the
105	105	certificate or license was issued or renewed, and the former law is
106	106	continued in effect for that purpose.
107	107	SECTION 9. This Act takes effect March 1, 2026.