1-1     By:  Patterson                                        S.B. No. 1090

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 10, 1997; March 12, 1997, read

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

 1-4     April 11, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 8,

 1-5     Nays 5; April 11, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to a signature verification committee in the general

 1-9     election for state and county officers.

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

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 87.027, Election Code, is

1-12     amended to read as follows:

1-13           (a)  A signature verification committee may be appointed in

1-14     any election.  The early voting clerk is the authority responsible

1-15     for determining whether a signature verification committee is to be

1-16     appointed.  If the clerk determines that a committee is to be

1-17     appointed, the clerk shall issue a written order calling for the

1-18     appointment.  Section 87.0271 supersedes this section to the extent

1-19     of a conflict.

1-20           SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 87, Election Code, is

1-21     amended by adding Section 87.0271 to read as follows:

1-22           Sec. 87.0271.  COMMITTEE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO GENERAL

1-23     ELECTION FOR STATE AND COUNTY OFFICERS.  (a)  A signature

1-24     verification committee shall be appointed in the general election

1-25     for state and county officers.  Except as provided by this section,

1-26     Section 87.027 applies to the committee.

1-27           (b)  Each county chairman of a political party with nominees

1-28     on the general election ballot shall submit to the county election

1-29     board a list of names of persons eligible to serve on the signature

1-30     verification committee.  The county election board shall appoint

1-31     three persons from each list to serve as  members of the committee.

1-32     The early voting clerk also serves as a member of the committee.

1-33           (c)  A determination under Section 87.027(i) that the

1-34     signatures do not match must be made by majority vote of the

1-35     committee.

1-36           (d)  A determination made by the committee under Section

1-37     87.027(i) is final and may not be changed by the early voting

1-38     ballot board.

1-39           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-40           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-41     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-42     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-43     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-44     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-45                                  * * * * *