By Nelson                                               S.B. No. 45

      75R1418 GGS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the period for early voting by personal appearance.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 85.001, Election Code, is amended to read

 1-5     as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 85.001.  EARLY VOTING PERIOD.  (a)  The period for early

 1-7     voting by personal appearance begins on the 10th [20th] day before

 1-8     election day and continues through the fourth day before election

 1-9     day, except as otherwise provided by this section.

1-10           (b)  [For a special runoff election for the office of state

1-11     senator or state representative or for a runoff primary election,

1-12     the period begins on the 10th day before election day.]

1-13           [(c)]  If the date prescribed by Subsection (a) [or (b)] for

1-14     beginning the period is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal state holiday,

1-15     the period begins on the next regular business day.

1-16           (c) [(d)]  If because of the date for which an election is

1-17     ordered it is not possible to begin early voting by personal

1-18     appearance on the prescribed date, the early voting period shall

1-19     begin on the earliest date practicable after the prescribed date as

1-20     set by the authority ordering the election.

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

1-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

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