By Danburg                                             H.B. No. 710
         77R3454 PAM-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to voter registration application forms.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 13.121(a), Election Code, is amended to
 1-5     read as follows:
 1-6           (a)  The officially prescribed application form for
 1-7     registration by mail must be in the form of a business reply
 1-8     postcard, unless another form or system is used under Subsection
 1-9     (b), with postage paid by the state. The form must be the largest
1-10     size permitted by the United States Postal Service for a business
1-11     reply postcard [may not be larger than the form in use immediately
1-12     prior to January 1, 1986]. The secretary of state shall design the
1-13     form to enhance the legibility of its contents.
1-14           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act takes effect
1-15     January 1, 2002, and applies only to voter registration application
1-16     forms produced on or after that date. Voter registration
1-17     application forms produced before January 1, 2002, may continue to
1-18     be used until the supply is exhausted, and the former law governing
1-19     those forms is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-20           SECTION 3.  On or before January 1, 2002, the secretary of
1-21     state shall prescribe a voter registration application form that
1-22     conforms to the change in law made by this Act.