1-1     By:  Madden, Danburg (Senate Sponsor - Ellis)         H.B. No. 2691
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 3, 2001;
 1-3     May 4, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on State
 1-4     Affairs; May 11, 2001, reported favorably, as amended, by the
 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                            By:  Shapleigh
 1-7           Amend H.B. 2691 as follows:
 1-8           1.  In section 1 of the bill, delete section 20.066(a) and
 1-9     substitute the following:
1-10           "(a)  This section applies unilaterally to a person who
1-11     resides in a county with a population of 2.1 million or more, and,
1-12     if written request is made to the Department of Public Safety by
1-13     the commissioners court, applies to a person who resides in a
1-14     county with a population greater than 400,000 but less than 2.1
1-15     million."
1-16                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-17                                   AN ACT
1-18     relating to procedures for the electronic transfer of voter
1-19     registration applications by certain voter registration agencies.
1-20           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-21           SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 20, Election Code, is
1-22     amended by adding Section 20.066 to read as follows:
1-23           Sec. 20.066.  REGISTRATION PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN POPULOUS
1-24     COUNTIES. (a)  This section applies unilaterally to a person who
1-25     resides in a county with a population of 2.1 million or more,
1-26     though the office responsible for voter registration in a county
1-27     with a population greater than 400,000 but less than 2.1 million is
1-28     able to request identical treatment of its citizens applying to
1-29     register to vote.
1-30           (b)  If a person completes a voter registration application
1-31     as provided by Section 20.063, the Department of Public Safety
1-32     shall:
1-33                 (1)  input the information provided on the application
1-34     into the department's electronic data system; and
1-35                 (2)  inform the applicant that the applicant's
1-36     electronic signature provided to the department will be used for
1-37     submitting the applicant's voter registration application.
1-38           (c)  Not later than the fifth day after the date a person
1-39     completes a voter registration application and provides an
1-40     electronic signature to the department, the department shall
1-41     electronically transfer the applicant's voter registration data,
1-42     including the applicant's signature, to the voter registrar of the
1-43     county in which the applicant resides.
1-44           (d)  The voter registrar shall maintain a database approved
1-45     by the secretary of state for receiving electronically transmitted
1-46     registration applications under this section.
1-47           (e)  The secretary of state shall prescribe additional
1-48     procedures as necessary to implement this section.
1-49           SECTION 2.  (a)  A committee is created to study and report
1-50     on the implementation of Section 20.066, Election Code, as added by
1-51     this Act.
1-52           (b)  The study committee consists of a member appointed by
1-53     the secretary of state, a member appointed by the Department of
1-54     Public Safety, a member appointed by the lieutenant governor, and a
1-55     member appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
1-56           (c)  The study committee shall report its findings and any
1-57     recommendations to the legislature not later than December 1, 2002.
1-58           (d)  The study committee is abolished and this section
1-59     expires September 1, 2003.
1-60           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
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