85R68 JRJ-D
	By: Taylor of Collin	S.B. No. 136

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to the verification of citizenship of an applicant for
	voter registration.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 13.002(a), Election Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	(a)  A person desiring to register to vote must submit an
	application to the registrar of the county in which the person
	resides. Except as provided by Subsection (e), an application must
	be submitted by personal delivery, by mail, or by telephonic
	facsimile machine in accordance with Section 13.143(d-2) [Sections
	13.143(d) and (d-2)].
	SECTION 2.  Section 13.046(f), Election Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	(f)  Except as provided by this subsection, Sections
	13.039[, 13.041,] and 13.042 apply to the submission and delivery
	of registration applications under this section, and for that
	purpose, "volunteer deputy registrar" in those sections includes a
	high school deputy registrar. A high school deputy registrar may
	review an application for completeness out of the applicant's
	presence. A deputy may deliver a group of applications to the
	registrar by mail in an envelope or package, and, for the purpose of
	determining compliance with the delivery deadline, an application
	delivered by mail is considered to be delivered at the time of its
	receipt by the registrar.
	SECTION 3.  Section 13.071, Election Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 13.071.  REVIEW OF APPLICATION. (a) The registrar
	shall review each submitted application for registration to
	determine whether it complies with Section 13.002 and indicates
	that the applicant is a United States citizen eligible for
	registration.
	(b)  If the application is submitted to the Department of
	Public Safety in person with the proof of citizenship required by
	Section 20.063(e), the [The] registrar shall make the determination
	not later than the seventh day after the date the application is
	submitted to the registrar.
	(c)  If the application is submitted in a manner other than
	the manner described by Subsection (b), the registrar shall forward
	the information relating to the applicant to the secretary of state
	for determining citizenship as provided by Section 13.0721.
	SECTION 4.  Subchapter C, Chapter 13, Election Code, is
	amended by adding Section 13.0721 to read as follows:
	Sec. 13.0721.  DETERMINATION OF CITIZENSHIP. (a)  This
	section does not apply to an application for registration submitted
	to the Department of Public Safety in person with the proof of
	citizenship required by Section 20.063(e).
	(b)  The secretary of state shall verify with the Department
	of Public Safety the citizenship status of each applicant for voter
	registration whose information is forwarded to the secretary of
	state as provided by Section 13.071(c). If the department verifies
	the applicant's citizenship status, the secretary of state shall
	notify the registrar.  If the department does not have information
	regarding the citizenship status of the applicant or has
	information indicating that the applicant is not a citizen, the
	registrar and the applicant shall be notified as provided by
	secretary of state rule.
	(c)  An applicant for voter registration who receives notice
	under Subsection (b) must provide proof of citizenship to the
	registrar not later than the 60th day after the date of receipt.
	Except as provided by Subsection (d), this proof must be presented
	in person. The following is acceptable as proof of citizenship
	under this section:
	(1)  an unexpired passport issued to the person;
	(2)  a certified copy of a birth certificate or other
	document confirming the person's birth that is admissible in a
	court of law and establishes the person's identity, presented with
	a government-issued identification that contains the person's
	photograph; or
	(3)  United States citizenship papers issued to the
	person, presented with a government-issued identification that
	contains the person's photograph.
	(d)  An applicant may mail a certified copy of a document
	described by Subsection (c)(2) or (3) with a copy of the person's
	government-issued photo identification to the registrar.
	(e)  If an applicant does not provide proof of citizenship as
	required, the registrar shall reject the application and notify the
	secretary of state. The secretary of state shall keep a list of
	applicants of which the secretary receives notice under this
	section.
	(f)  The secretary of state shall adopt rules and prescribe
	procedures to implement this section.
	SECTION 5.  Section 13.143(a), Election Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	(a)  Except as provided by Subsection [Subsections] (b) [and
	(e)], if an applicant's registration application is approved, the
	registration becomes effective on the 30th day after the date the
	application is approved [submitted to the registrar] or on the date
	the applicant becomes 18 years of age, whichever is later.
	SECTION 6.  Section 20.063, Election Code, is amended by
	adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
	(e)  A person who submits a voter registration application to
	the department in person shall at the time of submission present as
	proof of citizenship:
	(1)  an unexpired passport issued to the person;
	(2)  a certified copy of a birth certificate or other
	document confirming the person's birth that is admissible in a
	court of law and establishes the person's identity; or
	(3)  United States citizenship papers issued to the
	person.
	SECTION 7.  Sections 13.041 and 13.143(d) and (e), Election
	Code, are repealed.
	SECTION 8.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
	an application to register to vote submitted on or after the
	effective date of this Act.
	SECTION 9.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.