81R25334 JRJ-F
 
  By: Hochberg H.B. No. 1457
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to procedures concerning verification of certain
  information submitted in a voter registration application.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
  amended by adding Section 13.0725 to read as follows:
         Sec. 13.0725.  PROCESS FOR VERIFICATION OF APPLICANT'S TEXAS
  DRIVER'S LICENSE NUMBER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUED
  PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER, OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. (a) The
  secretary of state shall adopt rules establishing standards used
  for the verification of information on a voter registration
  application submitted by a registrar under Section
  13.072(a)(2)(A). The rules shall provide a process by which the
  secretary of state verifies an applicant's Texas driver's license
  number or Department of Public Safety issued personal
  identification card number if, based on the available information,
  a minor correction in the applicant's last name or date of birth as
  submitted by the registrar would lead a reasonable person to
  conclude that the number submitted is the correct number for that
  applicant.
         (b)  If available, the secretary of state shall provide the
  registrar with the name and date of birth maintained by the
  Department of Public Safety or other agency used in the
  verification process for a submitted application that corresponds
  to the Texas driver's license number, Department of Public Safety
  issued personal identification card number, or social security
  number submitted by the registrar for verification if:
               (1)  the secretary of state cannot verify the accuracy
  of an applicant's Texas driver's license number, Department of
  Public Safety issued personal identification card number, or social
  security number as submitted by the registrar; or
               (2)  the secretary of state verifies the accuracy of
  the number provided, but it is not a perfect match with the personal
  information provided by the registrar.
         (c)  A registrar shall review the information provided by the
  secretary of state under Subsection (b). If the registrar
  determines that a governmental clerical error was made in
  processing or submitting the application, the registrar shall
  correct the registration record and submit a corrected record to
  the secretary of state as notice of the correction, and for
  verification under Section 13.072(a)(2) if the application was not
  verified.
         SECTION 2.  Section 13.073(a), Election Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), the registrar
  shall deliver written notice of the reason for the rejection of an
  application to the applicant not later than the second day after the
  date of rejection.  If an application is rejected because it was not
  verified by the secretary of state under Section 13.072, the notice
  shall indicate whether the last name, date of birth, Texas driver's
  license number, Department of Public Safety issued personal
  identification card number, or social security number was the
  reason for the failure to verify, if that information is provided to
  the registrar by the secretary of state under Section 13.0725.
         SECTION 3.  Not later than January 1, 2010, the secretary of
  state shall adopt rules establishing the standards required by
  Section 13.0725, Election Code, as added by this Act.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2009.