78R13763 JRJ-F


By:  Jones of Dallas                                              H.B. No. 490

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 490:                                    

By:  Uresti                                                   C.S.H.B. No. 490



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the use of a receipt issued by certain voter 
registration entities to a person on completing an application for 
voter registration.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 13.040(b), Election Code, is amended to 
read as follows: 
	(b)  The secretary of state shall prescribe the form of the 
receipt, which [receipt] must contain:
		(1)  the name of the applicant and, if applicable, the 
name of the applicant's agent; [and]
		(2)  the address of the applicant, including the city 
and postal zip code;
		(3)  the date the completed application is submitted to 
the volunteer deputy; and
		(4)  the following statement:  "This is an official 
receipt of an application to register to vote.  This receipt may be 
submitted by a voter in place of a voter registration certificate in 
an election that occurs at least 30 days after the date the 
application to register is completed."[.]
	SECTION 2.  Section 63.009, Election Code, is amended by 
adding Subsections (c), (d), and (e) to read as follows:
	(c)  A voter who, when offering to vote, presents a receipt 
of an application to register to vote issued under Section 13.040 
shall be accepted for provisional voting.  The election officer 
shall attach the receipt to the executed affidavit and maintain the 
provisional ballot in a separate envelope for delivery to the early 
voting ballot board.
	(d)  The early voting ballot board shall accept a provisional 
ballot of a voter who presents a receipt under Subsection (c) if:
		(1)  the application was made on or after the 90th day 
and before the 29th day preceding the date of the election; and
		(2)  the address indicated on the receipt indicates 
that the voter is a resident of the precinct in which the voter is 
offering to vote or is otherwise entitled by law to vote in that 
precinct.
	(e)  The procedures prescribed by Subsections (c) and (d) 
apply to an election only if:
		(1)  any portion of the election is held in a county 
with a population of 2.1 million or more; or
		(2)  the authority holding the election chooses to use 
the procedures in the election.
	SECTION 3.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this 
section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2003.
	(b)  Section 2 of this Act takes effect January 1, 2004, but 
only if the changes in election laws to implement the federal Help 
America Vote Act of 2002 proposed by H.B.  No.  1549, 78th 
Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, become law.  Not later than 
January 1, 2004, the secretary of state shall certify whether the 
changes in election laws described by this subsection have become 
law and publish the certification in the Texas Register.