1-1     By:  Dutton (Senate Sponsor - Cain)                   H.B. No. 1001

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 1997;

 1-3     May 7, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 12, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to eligibility requirements for voting by persons

 1-9     convicted of a felony.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 11.002, Election Code, is amended to read

1-12     as follows:

1-13           Sec. 11.002.  Qualified Voter.  In this code, "qualified

1-14     voter" means a person who:

1-15                 (1)  is 18 years of age or older;

1-16                 (2)  is a United States citizen;

1-17                 (3)  has not been determined mentally incompetent by a

1-18     final judgment of a court;

1-19                 (4)  has not been finally convicted of a felony or, if

1-20     so convicted, has:

1-21                       (A)  fully discharged the person's sentence,

1-22     including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision [been

1-23     issued discharge papers by the pardons and paroles division or

1-24     institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,

1-25     or by a federal or other state correctional institution or parole

1-26     board], or completed a period of probation ordered by any court

1-27     [and at least two years have elapsed from the date of the issuance

1-28     or completion]; or

1-29                       (B)  been pardoned or otherwise released from the

1-30     resulting disability to vote;

1-31                 (5)  is a resident of this state; and

1-32                 (6)  is a registered voter.

1-33           SECTION 2.  Section 13.001(a), Election Code, is amended to

1-34     read as follows:

1-35           (a)  To be eligible for registration as a voter in this

1-36     state, a person must:

1-37                 (1)  be 18 years of age or older;

1-38                 (2)  be a United States citizen;

1-39                 (3)  not have been determined mentally incompetent by a

1-40     final judgment of a court;

1-41                 (4)  not have been finally convicted of a felony or, if

1-42     so convicted, must have:

1-43                       (A)  fully discharged the person's sentence,

1-44     including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision [been

1-45     issued discharge papers by the pardons and paroles division or

1-46     institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,

1-47     or by a federal or other state correctional institution or parole

1-48     board], or completed a period of probation ordered by any court

1-49     [and at least two years have elapsed from the date of the issuance

1-50     or completion]; or

1-51                       (B)  been pardoned or otherwise released from the

1-52     resulting disability to vote; and

1-53                 (5)  be a resident of the county in which application

1-54     for registration is made.

1-55           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-56           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-57     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-58     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-59     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-60     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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