BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 657 By: Bucy Elections Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE State law requires counties to post certain election information on their websites, which ensures that this information is easily accessible and readily available to the public. However, there is currently no requirement regarding the top-level domain that must be used by a county's website. According to the League of Women Voters, this lack of a required top-level domain can lead to confusion among the public and make it difficult to differentiate official websites from unofficial and potentially harmful websites. H.B. 657 seeks to help voters be able to trust the information they find online and address concerns about cybersecurity and website spoofing by requiring counties to use the top-level domain ".gov" or ".texas.gov" for a website used to post any election information. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 657 amends the Election Code to require a county to use the top-level domain ".gov" for a website used to post election information as required by that code, but to authorize a county to use the top-level domain ".texas.gov" for that purpose if ".gov" is unavailable or if, on September 1, 2025, the county is using ".texas.gov." The bill requires a county to comply with the bill's provisions as soon as practicable after the bill's effective date but not later than September 1, 2026. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 657
By: Bucy
Elections
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 657
By: Bucy
Elections
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE State law requires counties to post certain election information on their websites, which ensures that this information is easily accessible and readily available to the public. However, there is currently no requirement regarding the top-level domain that must be used by a county's website. According to the League of Women Voters, this lack of a required top-level domain can lead to confusion among the public and make it difficult to differentiate official websites from unofficial and potentially harmful websites. H.B. 657 seeks to help voters be able to trust the information they find online and address concerns about cybersecurity and website spoofing by requiring counties to use the top-level domain ".gov" or ".texas.gov" for a website used to post any election information.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS H.B. 657 amends the Election Code to require a county to use the top-level domain ".gov" for a website used to post election information as required by that code, but to authorize a county to use the top-level domain ".texas.gov" for that purpose if ".gov" is unavailable or if, on September 1, 2025, the county is using ".texas.gov." The bill requires a county to comply with the bill's provisions as soon as practicable after the bill's effective date but not later than September 1, 2026.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
State law requires counties to post certain election information on their websites, which ensures that this information is easily accessible and readily available to the public. However, there is currently no requirement regarding the top-level domain that must be used by a county's website. According to the League of Women Voters, this lack of a required top-level domain can lead to confusion among the public and make it difficult to differentiate official websites from unofficial and potentially harmful websites. H.B. 657 seeks to help voters be able to trust the information they find online and address concerns about cybersecurity and website spoofing by requiring counties to use the top-level domain ".gov" or ".texas.gov" for a website used to post any election information.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 657 amends the Election Code to require a county to use the top-level domain ".gov" for a website used to post election information as required by that code, but to authorize a county to use the top-level domain ".texas.gov" for that purpose if ".gov" is unavailable or if, on September 1, 2025, the county is using ".texas.gov." The bill requires a county to comply with the bill's provisions as soon as practicable after the bill's effective date but not later than September 1, 2026.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.