BILL ANALYSIS
By: Van de Putte
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Current law does not require local political subdivisions, such as school districts and junior college districts, to notify the county voter registrar of boundary changes. This can lead to problems, when the registrar discovers, shortly before an election, that jurisdiction boundaries have been changed. Such a scenario could open the door to potential legal challenges if voting precincts have to be modified and there is insufficient time to conduct appropriate hearings and submit required documents to the county commissioners court or the U.S. Department of Justice for pre-clearance. CSSB 427 requires a political subdivision to provide the county voter registrar with notice and a map of any exterior or interior boundary changes.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
CSSB 427 amends the Election Code by adding the provision requiring a political subdivision that changes any of its boundaries, including boundaries of districts used to elect members within the political subdivision, to notify the affected county voter registrar of the change not later than the 30th day after the change is adopted. The bill also requires the political subdivision to provide the voter registrar with a map of any adopted boundary change, in a compatible format, not later than the 30th day after the change is adopted.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2005.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The substitute modifies the original by changing the deadline for providing notice and a map of adopted boundary changes to not later than the 30th, rather than the 10th, day after the change is adopted.