88R2322 MLH-F
	By: Leach	H.B. No. 1735

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to the penalty for the offense of illegal voting;
	increasing a criminal penalty.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 64.012(b), Election Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	(b)  An offense under this section is a felony of the second
	degree unless the person is convicted of an attempt, in which event
	it is a state jail felony [Class A misdemeanor].
	SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
	an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.  An
	offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed
	by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former
	law is continued in effect for that purpose.  For purposes of this
	section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this
	Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Election Code 64.012 (Election Code 64)