HB 1296

naturalized citizens get registered to vote automatically

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the voter registration of naturalized United States citizens.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

DPS relays the federal notice to the registrar. No notice? Bring the certificate.

The bill orders each county voter registrar to automatically register a county resident who becomes a U.S. citizen through naturalization and is otherwise eligible to vote. It lets the Department of Public Safety set up a way for the federal immigration agency to tell the state when someone is naturalized, and requires DPS to pass that information to the county registrar. If no federal notice arrives, the new citizen can bring the naturalization certificate to the registrar, who must help the person register.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 3347 (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 3347 (Died in committee). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Nov 13, 2024 and referred to the House Elections committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1296 · 2024-11-13

SOLD BY

Rep. Hubert VoDHouse 149

ITEM

relating to the voter registration of naturalized United States citizens.

WHAT IT DOES

DPS relays the federal notice to the registrar. No notice? Bring the certificate.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

Nov 13, 2024Filed
Mar 10, 2025Read first time
Mar 10, 2025Referred to Elections

FILED UNDER

SURVEILLANCE STATE

THE TEXT

“A procedure established under Subsection (b) must require the Department of Public Safety to provide the information received from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to the appropriate county registrar.”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill sets up a data pipeline from a federal agency to DPS to county registrars about newly naturalized residents.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Hubert Vo

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$25K Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee$4K Insuring America PAC$3K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Aug 25, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$25,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 19, 2024 to Jan 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100988292, 101010418, 101037041.

Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee$4,000.00

Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee

$4,000.00

Cash: $4,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $4,000.00

Also funds 64 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Aug 14, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jul 23, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101034015.

Insuring America PAC$3,000.00

Insuring America PAC

$3,000.00

Cash: $3,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $3,000.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 8, 2024 to Jul 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Feb 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101040382.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 19, 2024 to Jan 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100988292, 101010418, 101037041.

Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee

$4,000.00

Cash: $4,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $4,000.00

Also funds 64 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Aug 14, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jul 23, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101034015.

Insuring America PAC

$3,000.00

Cash: $3,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $3,000.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 8, 2024 to Jul 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Feb 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101040382.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R HB 3347

by Rep. Vo, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Mar 15, 2023: Referred to Elections

Relating to the voter registration of naturalized United States citizens.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 13, 2024

03/10/2025 H Referred to Elections: Mar 10 2025 2:24PM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Elections · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

SB 146 by Menéndez (identical)

Subjects

Aliens

County Government--General

Elections--Registration & Suffrage

PUBLIC SAFETY, DEPARTMENT OF

SECRETARY OF STATE

Text

The text as introduced · 341 words

89R3949 JDK-D

By: Vo
H.B. No. 1296

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the voter registration of naturalized United States

citizens.

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) Except as provided by Section 13.009, 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 Sections 13.143(d) and (d-2).

SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 13, Election Code, is

amended by adding Section 13.009 to read as follows:

Sec. 13.009. VOTER REGISTRATION OF NATURALIZED CITIZEN.

(a) The voter registrar of each county shall automatically

register a resident of the county who is eligible to vote as

provided by Section 13.001 upon issuance of a certificate of

naturalization by the United States Citizenship and Immigration

Services.

(b) For the purposes of Subsection (a), the Department of

Public Safety may, in cooperation with the United States

Citizenship and Immigration Services, establish a procedure by

which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

notifies the department when a person lawfully present in this

state is issued a certificate of naturalization.

(c) A procedure established under Subsection (b) must

require the Department of Public Safety to provide the information

received from the United States Citizenship and Immigration

Services to the appropriate county registrar.

(d) If the United States Citizenship and Immigration

Services fails to notify the Department of Public Safety that a

person lawfully present in this state has been issued a certificate

of naturalization, the newly naturalized citizen may present the

certificate of naturalization to the appropriate county registrar

in satisfaction of Section 13.002(c)(3). The registrar shall

assist the person in registering to vote.

(e) The secretary of state may adopt rules to implement this

section as necessary.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.