By:  Ellis, et al.                                      S.B. No. 82

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to written communications used by voters in a polling

 1-2     place.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 61, Election Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 61.011 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 61.011.  REMOVING WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS FOUND IN

 1-7     POLLING PLACE.  (a)  An election officer shall periodically check

 1-8     each voting station and other areas of the polling place for sample

 1-9     ballots or other written communications used by voters that were

1-10     left or discarded in the polling place.

1-11           (b)  An election officer shall remove from the sight of the

1-12     voters any written communication found under Subsection (a).

1-13           SECTION 2.  Section 63.011, Election Code, is repealed.

1-14           SECTION 3.  An offense under Section 63.011, Election Code,

1-15     committed before the effective date of this Act is subject to the

1-16     law in effect when the offense was committed, and that law is

1-17     continued in effect for that purpose.  For purposes of this

1-18     section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this

1-19     Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.

1-20           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-21           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-23     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.