BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 3415
87R8852 MP-F	By: Goldman (Hancock)
	Local Government
	5/15/2021
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Currently, Harris County is the only county in Texas in which the county clerk's office is authorized to require photo identification when a person is presenting a document in person to be filed in the county's real property records. Other counties, however, have raised concerns over persons filing fraudulent property documents in order to illegally obtain a piece of property. To equip these counties with measures to avoid fraudulent filings, H.B. 3415 seeks to expand the authority of a county clerk to require photo identification when a person is making such a filing by lowering the minimum population threshold of a county that triggers the authorization from 3.3 million to 800,000, thereby including the 10 most populous counties.

H.B. 3415 amends current law relating to the authority of certain counties to require photo identification to file certain documents with the county clerk.

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 191.010(b), Local Government Code, to authorize a county clerk in a county with a population of 800,000, rather than 3.3 million, or more to require a person presenting a document in person for filing in the real property records of the county to present a photo identification to the clerk.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2021. �