HBA-CMT H.B. 615 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 615
By: Maxey
Elections
2/12/2001
Introduced



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.  House Bill 615 allows people to register to vote online, and
requires the secretary of state to adopt rules and procedures to permit a
county to accept these newly registered voters. 

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 13.002, Election Code) of this bill. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 615 amends the Election Code to provide that a digital signature
submitted by digital transmission is sufficient to satisfy the requirement
that a voter registration application be in writing and signed by the
applicant. 

H.B. 615 requires the secretary of state (secretary) to adopt rules to
approve technologies for submitting a registration application by digital
transmission and to approve technologies capable of creating digital
signatures that are: 

_unique to the person using the signature;

_capable of verification;

_under the sole control of the person using the signature;

_linked to the registration application such that the signature is
invalidated if the information in the application is changed; and  

_consistent with any other criteria the secretary determines necessary to
ensure the validity of the signature.  

The secretary is required to prescribe additional procedures as necessary
to implement a system for the digital transmission of registration
applications and the use of digital signatures on the applications. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

January 1, 2002.