By Shapiro                                             S.B. No. 971
         76R8761 SRC-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to participation by counties in an electronic voting pilot
 1-3     project for military voters.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 105, Election Code, as added by Chapter
 1-6     1349, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, is
 1-7     amended by adding Section 105.003 to read as follows:
 1-8           Sec. 105.003.  INTERNET VOTING PILOT PROJECT.  (a)  Any
 1-9     county selected by the United States Department of Defense may
1-10     participate in a federal voting assistance program pilot project to
1-11     allow members of the armed forces of the United States to cast
1-12     votes electronically.
1-13           (b)  This section expires January 1, 2003.
1-14           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-19     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-20     passage, and it is so enacted.