BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 766 By: Cortez Elections Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The bill author has informed the committee that in the 2020-2022 election cycle, the Bexar County Democratic Party received 444 filed applications for precinct chairs, while nearly 20 percent of those applications had no contact information aside from a mailing address. The current application for a place on the general primary ballot for a precinct or county chair, as prescribed by the secretary of state, indicates that providing either an email address or phone number is optional. The bill author has also informed the committee that this leads to local authorities encountering difficulties in contacting applicants who choose not to provide this contact information. C.S.H.B. 766 seeks to address this issue by requiring precinct chair applicants to include their email address, phone number, or both on their application. 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 C.S.H.B. 766 amends the Election Code to require an application for a place on the ballot as a candidate for precinct chair, in addition to complying with general application requirements, to include the following information: an email address at which the candidate receives correspondence relating to the candidate's campaign; a telephone number at which the candidate can be reached; or both the email address and telephone number. The bill establishes that this information is confidential and does not constitute public information for purposes of state public information law. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025. COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 766 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute includes a provision absent from the introduced establishing that information provided under the bill's provisions is confidential and does not constitute public information for purposes of state public information law.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 766
By: Cortez
Elections
Committee Report (Substituted)
C.S.H.B. 766
By: Cortez
Elections
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The bill author has informed the committee that in the 2020-2022 election cycle, the Bexar County Democratic Party received 444 filed applications for precinct chairs, while nearly 20 percent of those applications had no contact information aside from a mailing address. The current application for a place on the general primary ballot for a precinct or county chair, as prescribed by the secretary of state, indicates that providing either an email address or phone number is optional. The bill author has also informed the committee that this leads to local authorities encountering difficulties in contacting applicants who choose not to provide this contact information. C.S.H.B. 766 seeks to address this issue by requiring precinct chair applicants to include their email address, phone number, or both on their application.
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 C.S.H.B. 766 amends the Election Code to require an application for a place on the ballot as a candidate for precinct chair, in addition to complying with general application requirements, to include the following information: an email address at which the candidate receives correspondence relating to the candidate's campaign; a telephone number at which the candidate can be reached; or both the email address and telephone number. The bill establishes that this information is confidential and does not constitute public information for purposes of state public information law.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 766 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute includes a provision absent from the introduced establishing that information provided under the bill's provisions is confidential and does not constitute public information for purposes of state public information law.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The bill author has informed the committee that in the 2020-2022 election cycle, the Bexar County Democratic Party received 444 filed applications for precinct chairs, while nearly 20 percent of those applications had no contact information aside from a mailing address. The current application for a place on the general primary ballot for a precinct or county chair, as prescribed by the secretary of state, indicates that providing either an email address or phone number is optional. The bill author has also informed the committee that this leads to local authorities encountering difficulties in contacting applicants who choose not to provide this contact information. C.S.H.B. 766 seeks to address this issue by requiring precinct chair applicants to include their email address, phone number, or both on their application.
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
C.S.H.B. 766 amends the Election Code to require an application for a place on the ballot as a candidate for precinct chair, in addition to complying with general application requirements, to include the following information:
an email address at which the candidate receives correspondence relating to the candidate's campaign;
a telephone number at which the candidate can be reached; or
both the email address and telephone number.
The bill establishes that this information is confidential and does not constitute public information for purposes of state public information law.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 766 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
The substitute includes a provision absent from the introduced establishing that information provided under the bill's provisions is confidential and does not constitute public information for purposes of state public information law.