HBA-CMT C.S.H.B. 613 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 613
By: Maxey
Elections
3/4/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Many Texans have access to the Internet and have grown accustomed to the
24-hour-a-day access to the information and services that the Internet
provides.  C.S.H.B. 613  authorizes the secretary of state and Department
of Information Services to determine whether it is feasible for a voter to
correct voter registration information by digitally transferring the
information, and authorizes the secretary of state to adopt rules and
procedures to permit a registrar to accept the corrected voter information. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the secretary of state in SECTION 1
(Section 15.021 Election Code) of this bill. 

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 613 amends the Election Code to require the secretary of state, in
conjunction with the Department of Information Resources, to conduct a
study to determine the feasibility of allowing voters to correct voter
registration information by digital transmission of the information to a
voter registrar.  If the study determines that the digital transmission of
corrected information by a voter to a registrar is feasible, the corrected
information may be submitted without the submission of a written, signed
notice of the incorrect information and the corresponding correction. 

If the study determines it is feasible to allow digital transmission of
corrected information by a voter, the secretary of state is authorized to
adopt rules to approve technologies for submitting changes of registration
information by digital transmission, and rules to prescribe additional
procedures as necessary to implement a system for the digital transmission
of changes in registration information.  

EFFECTIVE DATE

January 1, 2002.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 613 differs from the original to add provisions requiring the
secretary of state to conduct a study in conjunction with the Department of
Information Resources to determine if the digital transfer of corrected
voter registration information is feasible.   

The substitute differs from the original by providing that only changes to
voter registration information may be submitted by digital transmission.
The original provided that an initial voter registration application may be
submitted by digital transmission. 

The substitute removes the provision from the original authorizing the
commissioners court to permit the submission of a registration application
to the registrar of the county by digital transmission.   

 The substitute differs from the original by providing that the rules that
the secretary of state adopts relate to changes to voter registration
information rather than an initial voter registration application.