BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 640
89R1896 TSS-D	By: Bumgarner et al. (Parker)
	State Affairs
	5/20/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Identical language (H.B. 2954) passed on the House Local & Consent Calendar during the 88th Session.

Currently, during an active election period a county, city, and other political subdivisions must remain open for a minimum of three hours on holidays that fall on a weekday, while independent school district offices are not required to remain open. Typically, the only holiday impacted by this confusion in code is Good Friday.

H.B. 640 seeks to create consistency across all local election administrators by including all political subdivisions under the same exemption school districts receive, to allow them to close on holidays that fall on weekdays during an election period.

Summary:

• Clarifies that a "regular business day means a day on which the main business office of the county, city, or political subdivision is regularly open for business."

H.B. 640 amends current law relating to the office hours of an election authority during an election period.

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 31.122(b), Election Code, as follows:

(b) Provides that in Section 31.122 (Office Hours of Election Authority During Election Period), "regular business day" means a day on which the main business office of the county, city, or other political subdivision is regularly open for business. Deletes existing text providing that, if the political subdivision is an independent school district, a regular business day means a day on which the school district's main business office is regularly open for business.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2025.