By:  Ellis                                             S.B. No. 545
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to voter registration.
    1-2        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-3        SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
    1-4  amended by adding Sections 13.123 and 13.124 to read as follows:
    1-5        Sec. 13.123.  REGISTRATION AT CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES.
    1-6  (a)  In this section, "state agency" means the Texas Department of
    1-7  Human Services and any other state agency which deals directly with
    1-8  the public in the provision of services.
    1-9        (b)  A state agency shall provide an opportunity to complete
   1-10  a voter registration application form to each individual who
   1-11  appears in person at an agency office to inquire about, request,
   1-12  apply for, or receive services.
   1-13        (c)  If a state agency regularly uses a form for individuals
   1-14  to inquire about, request, apply for, or receive services, the
   1-15  state agency shall prescribe and use a form which combines the
   1-16  regularly used form with an officially prescribed voter
   1-17  registration application form.
   1-18        (d)  An appropriate employee of the state agency shall inform
   1-19  each person appearing to inquire about, request, apply for, or
   1-20  receive services of the opportunity to complete a voter
   1-21  registration application form and on request shall provide
   1-22  nonpartisan voter registration assistance to any interested person
   1-23  on the premises.
    2-1        (e)  On receipt of a completed voter registration
    2-2  application, the employee of the state agency shall note the date
    2-3  of submission on the application and issue a receipt to the
    2-4  applicant containing the applicant's name, the employee's name, the
    2-5  location of the agency's office, and the date of submission.
    2-6        (f)  At the end of each day that a state agency office is
    2-7  regularly open for business, the manager of the office shall
    2-8  deliver by mail all completed voter registration applications to
    2-9  the voter registrar of the county in which the office is located.
   2-10        (g)  The date of submission of a completed voter registration
   2-11  application to a state agency employee is considered to be the date
   2-12  of submission to the voter registrar for the purpose of determining
   2-13  the effective date of registration only.
   2-14        Sec. 13.124.  REGISTRATION AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER
   2-15  EDUCATION.  (a)  In this section, "institution of higher education"
   2-16  means an institution of higher education as defined by Section
   2-17  61.003, Education Code.
   2-18        (b)  All institutions of higher education shall make official
   2-19  voter registration application forms available to students and
   2-20  employees of the institution and to any other interested person on
   2-21  the premises of the institution.
   2-22        (c)  Institution officials shall make official voter
   2-23  registration application forms available to each person who applies
   2-24  for admission or readmission to the institution or for assistance
   2-25  under a program administered by the institution.
    3-1        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
    3-2        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    3-3  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    3-4  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-5  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-6  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.