BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 752

By: Campbell

Elections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that military personnel on active duty overseas often face challenges to successfully voting with absentee ballots. S.B. 752 seeks to accommodate such personnel by making the overseas military email ballot program permanent and requiring the secretary of state to select any county to participate in the program if the county desires to participate and has appropriate technological capabilities.

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

S.B. 752 amends the Election Code to make permanent the program under which a member of the U.S. armed forces who is on active duty overseas and eligible for hostile fire pay is allowed to return an early voting ballot by email. The bill repeals provisions requiring the secretary of state to operate the program as a pilot program until September 1, 2017, and providing for the expiration of provisions relating to the program on that date. The bill removes the specification that the number of eligible counties selected to participate in the program is determined by the secretary of state and instead requires the secretary of state to select any eligible county to participate in the program.

S.B. 752 repeals Sections 105.004(c), (d), and (e), Election Code.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.