| 2 | | - | (In the Senate - Filed November 25, 2024; February 3, 2025, |
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| 3 | | - | read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; |
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| 4 | | - | March 31, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 9, |
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| 5 | | - | Nays 0; March 31, 2025, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 7 | 3 | | |
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| 8 | 4 | | |
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| 9 | 5 | | |
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| 10 | 6 | | |
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| 11 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 12 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 13 | 9 | | relating to preparing and delivering precinct election returns; |
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| 14 | 10 | | increasing a criminal penalty. |
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| 15 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 16 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 65.014(e), Election Code, is amended to |
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| 17 | 13 | | read as follows: |
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| 18 | 14 | | (e) An offense under Subsection (d) is a Class A [B] |
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| 19 | 15 | | misdemeanor. |
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| 20 | 16 | | SECTION 2. Section 66.055, Election Code, is amended to |
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| 21 | 17 | | read as follows: |
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| 22 | 18 | | Sec. 66.055. FAILURE TO DELIVER [JUDICIAL IMPOUNDMENT OF] |
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| 23 | 19 | | ELECTION RECORDS. (a) If the precinct election records are not |
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| 24 | 20 | | delivered by the deadline prescribed by Section 66.053(c): |
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| 25 | 21 | | (1) the secretary of state may supervise the |
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| 26 | 22 | | activities necessary to complete the count, prepare the precinct |
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| 27 | 23 | | returns, and distribute the records; or |
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| 28 | 24 | | (2)[,] on application by a member of the canvassing |
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| 29 | 25 | | authority, a district judge shall order the precinct election |
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| 30 | 26 | | records to be impounded. |
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| 31 | 27 | | (b) If the precinct election records are impounded under |
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| 32 | 28 | | Subsection (a)(2), the [The] district judge shall supervise the |
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| 33 | 29 | | activities necessary to complete the count, prepare the precinct |
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| 34 | 30 | | returns, and distribute the records. |
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| 35 | 31 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act in amending |
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| 36 | 32 | | Section 65.014(e), Election Code, applies only to an offense |
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| 37 | 33 | | committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An offense |
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| 38 | 34 | | committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the |
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| 39 | 35 | | law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the former |
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| 40 | 36 | | law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this |
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| 41 | 37 | | section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this |
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| 42 | 38 | | Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
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| 43 | 39 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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