1-1 By: Ellis, et al. S.B. No. 82 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed November 12, 1996; January 14, 1997, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; 1-4 March 10, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 13, 1-5 Nays 0; March 10, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to written communications used by voters in a polling 1-9 place. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 61, Election Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Section 61.011 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 61.011. REMOVING WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS FOUND IN 1-14 POLLING PLACE. (a) An election officer shall periodically check 1-15 each voting station and other areas of the polling place for sample 1-16 ballots or other written communications used by voters that were 1-17 left or discarded in the polling place. 1-18 (b) An election officer shall remove from the sight of the 1-19 voters any written communication found under Subsection (a). 1-20 SECTION 2. Section 63.011, Election Code, is repealed. 1-21 SECTION 3. An offense under Section 63.011, Election Code, 1-22 committed before the effective date of this Act is subject to the 1-23 law in effect when the offense was committed, and that law is 1-24 continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this 1-25 section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this 1-26 Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. 1-27 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-28 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the 1-29 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-30 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-31 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-32 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended. 1-33 * * * * *