BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	H.B. 273
86R14995 JRJ-D	By: Swanson (Zaffirini)
	State Affairs
	5/7/2019
	Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Legislation enacted recently inadvertently failed to make corresponding changes regarding a new deadline by which mail-in ballots are required to be sent to voters. This has resulted in confusion and extra workload for election officials.

 

H.B. 273 would reduce the burden on election officials by making changes to ensure that deadlines in current law related to when ballots must be sent to voters are aligned.

 

H.B. 273 amends current law relating to the time for providing a ballot to be voted by mail to a voter.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 86.004(a), Election Code, to require, except as provided by Subsection (b) (relating to requiring the balloting materials for certain voters in certain elections to be mailed to the voter before a certain date), the balloting materials for voting by mail to be mailed to a voter entitled to vote by mail not later than the seventh calendar day after the later of the date the clerk accepts the voter�s application for a ballot to be voted by mail or the date the ballots become available for mailing, except that if that mailing date is earlier than the 37th, rather than the 45th, day before election day, the balloting materials are required to be mailed not later than the 30th day before election day.

 

SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies only to an election ordered on or after September 1, 2019.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2019.