Hopper’s License Bill Also Drops Military ID At The Polls

The text as introduced · 1,398 words

89R3652 TSS-D

By: Hopper
H.B. No. 2332

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the appearance of a personal identification certificate

or driver's license issued to a person who is a citizen of the

United States and to the use of the certificate or license in

certain election processes in this state.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 13.002(c), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(c) A registration application must include:

(1) the applicant's first name, middle name, if any,

last name, and former name, if any;

(2) the month, day, and year of the applicant's birth;

(3) a statement that the applicant is a United States

citizen;

(4) a statement that the applicant is a resident of the

county;

(5) a statement that the applicant has not been

determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate

jurisdiction to be:

(A) totally mentally incapacitated; or

(B) partially mentally incapacitated without the

right to vote;

(6) a statement that the applicant has not been

finally convicted of a felony or that the applicant is a felon

eligible for registration under Section 13.001;

(7) the applicant's residence address or, if the

residence has no address, the address at which the applicant

receives mail and a concise description of the location of the

applicant's residence;

(8) the following information:

(A) the number of a [ applicant's ] Texas driver's

license [ number ] or [ the number of a ] personal identification card

issued to the applicant by the Department of Public Safety and

displaying the "CERTIFIED TEXAN" designator ;

(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number

described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's

social security number; or

(C) a statement by the applicant that the

applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or

(B);

(9) if the application is made by an agent, a statement

of the agent's relationship to the applicant; and

(10) the city and county in which the applicant

formerly resided.

SECTION 2. Section 13.072(a), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(a) Unless the registrar challenges the applicant, the

registrar shall approve the application if:

(1) the registrar determines that an application

complies with Section 13.002 and indicates that the applicant is

eligible for registration; and

(2) for an applicant who has not included a statement

described by Section 13.002(c)(8)(C), the registrar verifies with

the secretary of state:

(A) that the [ applicant's ] Texas driver's license

number or number of a personal identification card provided by the

applicant corresponds to a license or card issued to the applicant

by the Department of Public Safety and displays the "CERTIFIED

TEXAN" designator ; or

(B) the last four digits of the applicant's

social security number.

SECTION 3. Section 63.0101(a), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(a) The following documentation is an acceptable form of

photo identification under this chapter:

(1) a driver's license, election identification

certificate, or personal identification card issued to the person

by the Department of Public Safety that :

(A) displays the "CERTIFIED TEXAN" designator;

and

(B) has not expired or that expired no earlier

than four years before the date of presentation;

(2) [ a United States military identification card that

contains the person's photograph that has not expired or that

expired no earlier than four years before the date of presentation;

[ (3) ] a United States citizenship certificate issued

to the person that contains the person's photograph;

(3) [ (4) ] a United States passport book or card issued

to the person that has not expired or that expired no earlier than

four years before the date of presentation; or

(4) [ (5) ] a license to carry a handgun issued to the

person by the Department of Public Safety that has not expired or

that expired no earlier than four years before the date of

presentation.

SECTION 4. Section 84.002(a), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(a) An early voting ballot application must include:

(1) the applicant's name and the address at which the

applicant is registered to vote;

(1-a) the following information:

(A) the number of a [ the applicant's ] driver's

license or personal identification card issued to the applicant by

the Department of Public Safety and displaying the "CERTIFIED

TEXAN" designator or of an [ , ] election identification certificate

[ , or personal identification card ] issued to the applicant by the

Department of Public Safety;

(B) if the applicant has not been issued a number

described by Paragraph (A), the last four digits of the applicant's

social security number; or

(C) a statement by the applicant that the

applicant has not been issued a number described by Paragraph (A) or

(B);

(2) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail

on the ground of absence from the county of residence, the address

outside the applicant's county of residence to which the ballot is

to be mailed;

(3) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail

on the ground of age or disability, the address of the hospital,

nursing home or other long-term care facility, or retirement

center, or of a person related to the applicant within the second

degree by affinity or the third degree by consanguinity, as

determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, if the applicant is

living at that address and that address is different from the

address at which the applicant is registered to vote;

(4) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail

on the ground of confinement in jail, the address of the jail or of a

person related to the applicant within the degree described by

Subdivision (3);

(5) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail

on any ground, an indication of each election for which the

applicant is applying for a ballot;

(6) an indication of the ground of eligibility for

early voting; and

(7) for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail

on the ground of involuntary civil commitment, the address of the

facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Civil

Commitment Office or of a person related to the applicant within the

degree of consanguinity described by Subdivision (3).

SECTION 5. Subchapter E, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,

is amended by adding Section 521.1017 to read as follows:

Sec. 521.1017. CERTIFIED TEXAN DESIGNATOR. If, at the time

a person applies for a personal identification certificate, the

person provides a copy of a birth certificate issued for the person

within the United States, a Certificate of United States

Citizenship, a Certificate of Naturalization, a United States

Citizen Identification Card, or another document denoting the

person is a United States citizen issued by the federal Department

of Homeland Security or the United States Department of State that

includes an identification photograph, the personal identification

certificate issued to the person must display a large designator

with a stamp-like appearance reading "CERTIFIED TEXAN".

SECTION 6. Subchapter F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,

is amended by adding Section 521.1225 to read as follows:

Sec. 521.1225. CERTIFIED TEXAN DESIGNATOR. If, at the time

a person applies for a driver's license, the person provides a copy

of a birth certificate issued for the person within the United

States, a Certificate of United States Citizenship, a Certificate

of Naturalization, a United States Citizen Identification Card, or

another document denoting the person is a United States citizen

issued by the federal Department of Homeland Security or the United

States Department of State that includes an identification

photograph, the driver's license issued to the person must display

a large designator with a stamp-like appearance reading "CERTIFIED

TEXAN".

SECTION 7. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections

13.002, 13.072, 63.0101, and 84.002, Election Code, and Subchapters

E and F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code, apply only to a personal

identification certificate or driver's license issued or renewed on

or after the effective date of this Act. A personal identification

certificate or driver's license issued or renewed before the

effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the

certificate or license was issued or renewed, and the former law is

continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.