HBA-MPA H.B. 308 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 308 By: Madden Elections 2/15/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, state law requires voter registrars to notify convicted felons in writing of the cancellation of their voting rights. Because the law forbids all convicted felons from voting for the same length of time under the same circumstances, this information can be conveyed to the defendant at the time the sentence is pronounced. H.B. 308 requires a judge to inform a convicted felon of the loss of voting rights at the time of sentencing. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 16.036(a), Election Code, to exempt the registrar from the requirement to deliver a written notice of cancellation of voting rights to a voter convicted of a felony. Makes a nonsubstantive change. SECTION 2. Amends Article 42.03, Code of Criminal Procedure, by adding Section 5, as follows: Sec. 5. Requires a judge at the time of sentencing to inform a defendant convicted of a felony that the defendant will lose the right to vote from the time the judgment becomes final until the defendant's sentence has been discharged or the defendant has been pardoned or otherwise released from the disability to vote under the provisions of Section 11.002(4), Election Code. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.