1-1           By:  Carona                                      S.B. No. 292

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed January 23, 1997; January 28, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;

 1-4     February 19, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas

 1-5     13, Nays 0; February 19, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the period for early voting by personal appearance.

 1-9           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-10           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 85.001, Election Code, is

1-11     amended to read as follows:

1-12           (a)  The period for early voting by personal appearance

1-13     begins on the 17th [20th] day before election day and continues

1-14     through the seventh [fourth] day before election day, except as

1-15     otherwise provided by this section.

1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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