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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to voter registration offenses; increasing criminal |
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penalties; creating an offense. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 13.007(a) and (b), Election Code, are |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly |
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makes a materially false statement or requests, commands, or |
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attempts to induce another person to make a false statement on a |
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registration application. |
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(b) An offense under this section is a Class A [Class B] |
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misdemeanor. |
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SECTION 2. Section 13.038, Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 13.038. POWERS GENERALLY; OFFENSE. (a) A volunteer |
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deputy registrar may distribute voter registration application |
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forms throughout the county and receive registration applications |
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submitted to the deputy in person. |
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(b) A volunteer deputy registrar commits an offense if the |
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volunteer deputy distributes a voter registration application form |
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to a person the volunteer deputy knows is ineligible to register to |
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vote under Section 13.001. An offense under this subsection is a |
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Class A misdemeanor. |
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SECTION 3. Section 13.044, Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 13.044. PURPORTEDLY ACTING AS VOLUNTEER DEPUTY |
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REGISTRAR. (a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly |
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purports to act as a volunteer deputy registrar when the person does |
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not have an effective appointment as a volunteer deputy registrar. |
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(b) An offense under this section is a Class A [Class C] |
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misdemeanor. |
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SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections |
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13.007 and 13.044, Election Code, apply only to an offense |
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committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An offense |
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committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the |
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law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former law is |
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continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, |
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an offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if |
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any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |