By Dutton                                       H.B. No. 1001

      75R2324 DRH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to eligibility requirements for voting by persons

 1-3     convicted of a felony.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 11.002, Election Code, is amended to read

 1-6     as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 11.002.  Qualified Voter.  In this code, "qualified

 1-8     voter" means a person who:

 1-9                 (1)  is 18 years of age or older;

1-10                 (2)  is a United States citizen;

1-11                 (3)  has not been determined mentally incompetent by a

1-12     final judgment of a court;

1-13                 (4)  has not been finally convicted of a felony or, if

1-14     so convicted, has:

1-15                       (A)  been issued discharge papers by the pardons

1-16     and paroles division or institutional division of the Texas

1-17     Department of Criminal Justice, or by a federal or other state

1-18     correctional institution or parole board, or completed a period of

1-19     probation ordered by any court [and at least two years have elapsed

1-20     from the date of the issuance or completion]; or

1-21                       (B)  been pardoned or otherwise released from the

1-22     resulting disability to vote;

1-23                 (5)  is a resident of this state; and

1-24                 (6)  is a registered voter.

 2-1           SECTION 2.  Section 13.001(a), Election Code, is amended to

 2-2     read as follows:

 2-3           (a)  To be eligible for registration as a voter in this

 2-4     state, a person must:

 2-5                 (1)  be 18 years of age or older;

 2-6                 (2)  be a United States citizen;

 2-7                 (3)  not have been determined mentally incompetent by a

 2-8     final judgment of a court;

 2-9                 (4)  not have been finally convicted of a felony or, if

2-10     so convicted, must have:

2-11                       (A)  been issued discharge papers by the pardons

2-12     and paroles division or institutional division of the Texas

2-13     Department of Criminal Justice, or by a federal or other state

2-14     correctional institution or parole board, or completed a period of

2-15     probation ordered by any court [and at least two years have elapsed

2-16     from the date of the issuance or completion]; or

2-17                       (B)  been pardoned or otherwise released from the

2-18     resulting disability to vote; and

2-19                 (5)  be a resident of the county in which application

2-20     for registration is made.

2-21           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-22           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.