By Danburg H.C.R. No. 185 74R11336 GGS-D HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The enactment of the National Voter Registration Act 1-2 of 1993 marked a renewed commitment and resolve by the federal 1-3 government to maximize the opportunities to become registered to 1-4 vote and to increase the overall number of registered voters in 1-5 this country, thereby increasing citizen participation in the 1-6 electoral process; and 1-7 WHEREAS, While the goals of the National Voter Registration 1-8 Act are shared by the citizens of this country, a balance must be 1-9 struck between the steps to be taken to accomplish those goals and 1-10 the adverse impact this unfunded federal mandate may have on the 1-11 fiscal and organizational structure and policy of state and local 1-12 governments; now, therefore, be it 1-13 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-14 hereby respectfully request the Congress of the United States to 1-15 recognize the importance of constitutionally guaranteed state 1-16 sovereignty and to work closely with state and local governments to 1-17 reduce the impact wrought by the enactment of unfunded federal 1-18 mandates; and, be it further 1-19 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-20 hereby respectfully request the Congress of the United States to 1-21 eliminate from the National Voter Registration Act the requirement 1-22 for an applicant for agency services to complete and sign a 1-23 declination of registration form as long as the applicant shows a 1-24 voter registration certificate or the applicant has previously 2-1 completed and signed the declination form; to provide to 2-2 appropriate state and local governments federal mail franking 2-3 privileges for the mailings of voter registration applications 2-4 required by the Act; and to reduce the required period in the Act 2-5 to retain on the voter registration records the names of persons 2-6 who have moved and not responded to the voter registrars through 2-7 voting or notification from a period encompassing two federal 2-8 election cycles to a period encompassing one federal election 2-9 cycle; and, be it further 2-10 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 2-11 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 2-12 the speaker of the house of representatives and president of the 2-13 senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the 2-14 Texas delegation to the congress with the request that it be 2-15 officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the 2-16 Congress of the United States of America.