BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.H.B. 3415
87R27413 MP-D	By: Goldman (Hancock)
	Local Government
	5/19/2021
	Committee Report (Substituted)

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.

(Original Author's/Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

C.S.H.B. 3415 amends current law relating to the authority of a county 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 the heading to Section 191.010, Local Government Code, to read as follows:

Sec. 191.010. AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE PHOTO IDENTIFICATION TO FILE CERTAIN DOCUMENTS.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 191.010(b), Local Government Code, to authorize a county clerk, rather than a county clerk in a county with a population of 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 3. Effective date: September 1, 2021.�