BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1823

By: Canales

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that state law does not allow certain diacritical marks on Texas driver licenses and birth certificates and contend that this prohibits a considerable amount of the state's population from obtaining documentation that displays their name accurately. H.B. 1823 seeks to address this issue by authorizing the state to include diacritical marks on certain official state records and documents.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 1823 amends the Health and Safety Code and the Transportation Code to require the state registrar of vital statistics and the Department of Public Safety to ensure that a vital statistics record, original or renewal driver's license or personal identification certificate, or original or renewal commercial driver's license or commercial learner's permit, as applicable, properly records any diacritical mark used in a person's name.

H.B. 1823 applies only to a vital statistics record issued and to a driver's license, commercial driver's license, commercial learner's permit, or personal identification certificate issued or renewed on or after September 1, 2018.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.