BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2954

By: Bumgarner

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, city and county offices are required to remain open on holidays if the holiday is during an active election period, requiring someone to stay in an otherwise empty building on holidays. However, independent school district offices are exempted from this requirement and are the only election authorities allowed to be closed on holidays that fall during an election period. A city secretary from House District 63 reached out and asked for a solution that would create a consistent standard for all election authorities. H.B. 2954 seeks to address this issue by providing for the election authorities of all political subdivisions to be closed on holidays.

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. 2954 amends the Election Code to revise the definition of a "regular business day" during an election period on which the election authority of a political subdivision is required to keep its main business office open for at least three hours as follows:

· removes provisions limiting applicability of the definition of a regular business day as a day on which the political subdivision's main business office is regularly open for business only if the political subdivision is an independent school district; and

· defines the term instead as a day on which the main business office of the county, city, or other political subdivision is regularly open for business.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.