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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to manufacturing requirements for hardware and software |
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used in a voting system used in an election in this state. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 122.032, Election Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to read as |
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follows: |
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(a) For a voting system or voting system equipment to be |
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approved for use in elections, the voting system in which the |
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equipment is designed to be used must: |
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(1) comply with the standards prescribed by Subchapter |
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A; and |
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(2) beginning September 1, 2021, have: |
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(A) all software used in the voting system be |
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developed and operated entirely within the United States and sold |
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by a company whose: |
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(i) headquarters are located in the United |
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States; and |
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(ii) parent company's headquarters, if |
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applicable, are located in the United States; and |
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(B) all hardware used in the voting system, if |
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manufactured outside the United States, be delivered to the United |
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States without any embedded software installed. |
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(c) In this section, "embedded software" means programmable |
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instructions provided on software that is delivered with voting |
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system equipment or with a replacement part for that equipment for |
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the purpose of equipment operation, including all relevant patches |
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and fixes made by the original equipment manufacturer of the voting |
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system equipment or replacement part for that purpose. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |