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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the prosecution of certain offenses relating to an |
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application for a ballot to be voted by mail; increasing a criminal |
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penalty. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 84.003(b), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) A person who acts as a witness for an applicant for an |
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early voting ballot application commits an offense if the person |
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knowingly fails to comply with Section 1.011. A person who [in the
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presence of the applicant] otherwise assists an applicant in |
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completing an early voting ballot application commits an offense if |
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the person knowingly fails to comply with Section 1.011(d) in the |
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same manner as a witness. |
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SECTION 2. Section 84.0041(b), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony |
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[unless the person is the applicant, is related to the applicant
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within the second degree by affinity or the third degree by
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consanguinity, as determined under Subchapter B, Chapter 573,
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Government Code, or is registered to vote at the same address as the
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applicant, in which event the offense is a Class A misdemeanor]. |
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SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and |
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the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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before that date. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |