(Continued)

(Wednesday, March 31, 2021)

The Senate met at 1:15 p.m. and was called to order by the President.

Senator Nelson offered the invocation as follows:

Heavenly Father, You just heard a small sampling of the many things for which we are grateful. We thank You for our many blessings. Thank You for our Senate family, for those who protect us, law enforcement and military. Thank You for this great state and this great nation. Father God, as we enter this holy weekend, we rejoice in remembering Your most perfect sacrifice, the redemption of all sins. Help us to walk in Your ways serving one another with open hearts, extending Your grace daily. We pray that Your peace which surpasses all understanding becomes a source of encouragement. You are the living hope. Finally, Father, as Senators we pray for guidance so that we may better serve the people of this state. Help us make the right decisions, meeting their needs, protecting the most vulnerable, respecting all faiths, and honoring Your name. Amen.

The President announced the signing of the following enrolled resolutions in the presence of the Senate:  HCR 68, HCR 69.

Senator Perry offered the following resolution:

SR 214, Recognizing March 31, 2021, as Lubbock Day.

The resolution was read and was adopted without objection.

Senator Perry was recognized and introduced to the Senate a Lubbock Chamber of Commerce delegation including Curtis Parrish, Lubbock County Judge; Dan Pope, Mayor; Dave Marcinkowski; and Gabe Vitela.

The Senate welcomed its guests.

Senator Perry offered the following resolution:

SR 215, Recognizing Eddie McBride on the occasion of his retirement.

The resolution was read and was adopted without objection.

Senator Perry was recognized and introduced to the Senate Eddie McBride, former President and CEO of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.

The Senate welcomed its guest.

The following Message from the Governor was read and was referred to the Committee on Nominations:

March 31, 2021

Austin, Texas

TO THE SENATE OF THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, REGULAR SESSION:

I ask the advice, consent and confirmation of the Senate with respect to the following appointments:

To be members of the Gulf Coast Authority Board of Directors for terms to expire August 31, 2022:

Lamont E. Meaux

Stowell, Texas

Kevin M. Scott

Santa Fe, Texas

The individuals listed above are being reappointed.

Respectfully submitted,

/s/Greg Abbott

Governor

The President announced the time had arrived to consider executive appointments to agencies, boards, and commissions. Notice of submission of these names for consideration was given yesterday by Senator Buckingham.

Senator Buckingham moved confirmation of the nominees reported yesterday by the Committee on Nominations.

The President asked if there were requests to sever nominees.

There were no requests offered.

The following nominees, as reported by the Committee on Nominations, were confirmed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Member, Board for Lease of Texas Department of Criminal Justice Lands:  Erin Elizabeth Lunceford, Harris County.

Member, Board for Lease of Texas Parks and Wildlife Lands: Clifton Earl Bickerstaff, Potter County.

Members, Board of Pardons and Paroles:   David Gutierrez, Bell County; Edward Ray Robertson, Travis County.

Commissioners, Board of Pilot Commissioners for Galveston County Ports:  Arden Cyril Hill, Galveston County; Charles Frederick Kuebler, Galveston County; Kelly Kathleen Lovell, Galveston County; Terrilyn Tarlton-Shannon, Galveston County.

Presiding Officer, Brazos County Regional Mobility Authority:  Daniel Barrett Moore, Brazos County.

Presiding Officer, Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority:  Frank Parker, Cameron County.

Presiding Officer, Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority:  Joyce A. Wilson, El Paso County.

Member, Oversight Committee, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas:  Donald R. Margo, El Paso County; Cynthia Barberio Payne, Comal County.

Chair, State Board of Education:  Keven Mirk Anthony Ellis, Angelina County.

Members, Commission on State Emergency Communications:  Clinton Dale Sawyer, Lamb County; Larry Layne VanSteenberg, Montgomery County.

Justice, Court of Appeals, Fourth Court of Appeals District:  Lori Irene Valenzuela, Bexar County.

Members, Finance Commission of Texas:  Hector J. Cerna, Maverick County; Lawrence Bryan Long, Dallas County; Sharon McCormick, Collin County; Laura Rebecca Nassri Warren, Hildago County.

Presiding Officer, Grayson County Regional Mobility Authority:  Robert Weldon Brady, Grayson County.

Member, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission:  Douglass Whitcombe Boyd, Kendall County.

Presiding Officer, Hildalgo County Regional Mobility Authority:  Samuel D. Deanda, Hildago County.

Commissioner, Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision:  David Gutierrez, Bell County.

Commissioners, Board of Pilot Commissioners for Jefferson and Orange County:  Christopher Stephen Guy, Jefferson County; Charles Edward Holder, Orange County; William Gates Jenkins, Jefferson County; Shawn Michael Sparrow, Jefferson County; Milton Bradley Taylor, Orange County.

Members, Board of Directors, Lower Neches Valley Authority:  Steven Robert Lucas, Jefferson County; James Michael Scott, Jefferson County; Charles Spurlock, Tyler County.

Member, Board of Directors, North Texas Tollway Authority: Frankie Gravely, Grayson County.

Members, Parks and Wildlife Commission:  James Edward Abell, Smith County; Jeffery Dee Hildebrand, Harris County; Robert L. Patton, Tarrant County.

Member, Public Safety Commission:  Steven Hall Stodghill, Dallas County.

Member, School Land Board:  Todd Allen Williams, Dallas County.

Presiding Officer, Sulphur River Regional Mobility Authority:  Jay Wiley Hodge, Lamar County.

Members, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission:  Michael S. Adkins, El Paso County; Hasan Mack, Travis County; Deborah Gray Marino, Bexar County.

Members, Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Council:  Abby Lynn Frank, Washington County; Leslie L. W. Kinsel, La Salle County; Natalie Cobb Koehler, Bosque County; Romey Lynn Swanson, Travis County.

Members, Texas Lottery Commission:  Cynthia Anne Foster Lyons Fields, El Paso County; Erik C. Saenz, Harris County; James Higbie Clement Steen, Harris County.

Members, Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission:  Brandon Troy Hurley, Tarrant County; John J. Mundy, Travis County.

Adjutant General, Texas Military Department:  Tracy Ray Norris, Travis County.

Member, Board of Directors, Texas Mutual Insurance Company:  Brett Baker Flagg, Denton County.

Members, Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists:  Russell Floyd Bartee, Tarrant County; Jodie L. Elder, Dallas County; Daniel Wayne Parrish, Dallas County; Anthony Charles Scoma, Travis County; Jeanene Lea Smith, Travis County; Evelyn Husband Thompson, Harris County.

Members, Texas State Library and Archives Commission:  David Champion Garza, Cameron County; Bradley Scott Tegeler, Travis County.

Member, Board of Regents, Texas State Technical College System:  Kathy Ann Stewart, Tom Green County.

Members, Texas Transportation Commission:  James Bruce Bugg, Bexar County; Robert Carl Vaughn, Dallas County.

Members, Texas Veterans Commission:  Mary Lopez Dale, Williamson County; Mike Perez Hernandez, Taylor County.

Members, Board of Regents, University of Houston System:  Guadalupe Cantu, Hidalgo County; John A. McCall, Houston County.

Members, Board of Regents, University of North Texas System:  Melisa A. Denis, Tarrant County; Daniel R. Feehan, Tarrant County.

Presiding Officer, Webb County-City of Laredo Regional Mobility Authority:  Jed Alton Brown, Webb County.

On motion of Senator Nichols and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 5 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 5, Relating to the expansion of broadband services to certain areas.

The bill was read second time.

Senator Nichols offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 5 (senate committee printing) in SECTION 6 of the bill as follows:

(1)  On page 7, line 38, strike "September 1, 2022" and substitute "January 1, 2023".

(2)  On page 7, line 39, strike "January 1, 2023" and substitute "September 1, 2022".

The amendment to CSSB 5 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 1.

CSSB 5 as amended was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Nichols moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 5 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Perry and by unanimous consent, the remarks by Senators Perry and Nichols regarding CSSB 5 on suspension of the regular order of business were ordered reduced to writing and printed in the Senate Journal as follows:

President:  Senator Perry, for what purpose?

Senator Perry:  A question or two, but mainly a statement and I go ahead and, I know we normally do this after the fact, but if we would record what I'm going to say in the Journal, ahead of time, if it's easier for you guys to take note. Surely to establish, Senator Nichols, or Chairman Nichols and I, as well as many, have been working on this initiative for a while. And I want to state that the bill's good. It's a great starting point. I mean, it's where it needs to be, but for purposes of intent I want to make sure the concerns I have with where we're delegating in a very nonprescriptive way. A lot of times we write legislation assuming that the objective is clear and they have full authority to meet the objective. The bill does a great job of giving an objective and it also does a pretty good job of saying who should be responsible for it. But I want, under no uncertain terms, there to be any confusion as to where we want to be when this process is done. And that's pretty much anybody and everybody in the State of Texas that desires to have broadband availability that's reliable and affordable, hopefully, should have that if we meet our objective. With that, the bill gives some guidance as to an 80-20. I want to make sure what I understand the 80-20 to be and what I think it should be. Eighty-twenty is not a endpoint, we had to start somewhere. It's a beginning point of a conversation. If you look at a broadband map today, as Chairman Nichols has said, you probably are above 90 percent coverage in the State of Texas, according to some authorities, which is absolutely not true. I know in these conversations we've had, we've got people that have providers, fibers going right down their alleyway, but yet no ability to connect to their home because the provider said, we won't do that. But you can argue that they have access and it's not correct. So, as we go through this, I want this council and I want this development office to understand objective is for those that desire it and want it, it's available. When we're done, we'll have demarked those houses. Demarked means the last mile and I'm getting into the weeds a little bit, but there's the middle mile and there's the last mile, and the last mile is from wherever your provider is to the house. And it's that piece that if we're not clear in our intentions that we hope to achieve, we will end up status quo exactly where we are only several millions, hundreds of million dollars from a federal level in the hole with nothing to show for it. So, I speak specifically today to the service providers that are critical in making this objective work. We need all of our service providers on board to meet the objective. And why I say that is that will mean they will have to be willing to do some things that currently they're not wanting to do to meet this objective. So, the development office needs to have the courage, the direction, and the Legislature's support to move this agenda to where it needs to be. And if we do not back that agenda with the full force of the Legislature and the opportunities that we have to going forward, we will have spent, as I say, the first round of RDOF money, feds have sent some money to the state already, $347 million. It went to these people that may have had somebody in the area, but they were not demarked so this requires them to do that. There's another round of that money. We need to be actively engaged in those conversations. So, the intent of this is to make it available to those people that want it, not for a provider group to say, we're there, we're covered, we don't worry about it but yet they never went the last mile.

Senator Nichols:  Okay, I was waiting for my turn.

Senator Perry:  I'm sorry.

Senator Nichols:  You've been crystal clear all the way through and we've discussed it over quite a bit. And we worked on the language to try to accomplish what you and I believe, but just so, to simplify it, when we say a street or a road is covered, has coverage, to us it means each street address, each address. If you got an address, whether it's a business or a home it's either served or it's not served. And if it's not served, then the question is can it be served within one billing cycle. And if it can be served within one billing cycle, then it's served. And none of the maps to date were like that. As I explained, they were Census maps and some of my counties the entire Census, you know, there's a whole county, and if one person got the service, they showed it was served. The other thing the feds did several years back was they had two definitions for high speed Internet. They had one for the urban areas which is 25/3 and then they had a, one for the rural saying it's 10/1. I believe that's right.

Senator Perry:  Right.

Senator Nichols:  And I'm going, high speed's high speed. So, we made, we were very clear in here that high speed is 25/3 unless the FCC changes the definition higher in which case we automatically go higher.

Senator Perry:  Right.

Senator Nichols:  But, yes, I heard you loud and clear, and I think what you're saying is very important. That's certainly my intention as well.

Senator Perry:  And I think we hit it. I think you got there. I just think it's important for us to set the expectation, what that really means, it means demarked to the house.

Senator Nichols:  And the development office people can come watch this archive.

Senator Perry:  That's right. That's, that's where I'm at is I don't want--

Senator Nichols:  Gotcha.

Senator Perry:  --anybody to be able to say we, we saw 80-20 or we saw 95-5 and nothing changed and pat theirself on the back. Lot of taxpayer money went to somebody and nothing got done. But I appreciate you, your office, Tina's been awesome, of making sure those communications have been open. This has been going on with me for years, truthfully, and I felt like I had a good grasp on it, but it was very frustrating to have some communities say, on the map we're covered but there's only two people that's got it in the whole county. So, that's what this bill is intended to fix. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator Nichols:  Thank, thank you for your input.

On motion of Senator Nichols and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 507 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 507, Relating to an accommodation process authorizing the use of state highway rights-of-way by broadband-only providers.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Nichols moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 507 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator West and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration SB 30 at this time on its second reading:

SB 30, Relating to the removal of certain discriminatory restrictions and provisions from certain real property records.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator West moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 30 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

HOUSE CHAMBER

Austin, Texas

Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 1

The Honorable President of the Senate

Senate Chamber

Austin, Texas

Mr. President:

I am directed by the house to inform the senate that the house has taken the following action:

THE HOUSE HAS PASSED THE FOLLOWING MEASURES:

Relating to the governance of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the Office of Public Utility Counsel, and an independent organization certified to manage a power region.

Relating to a study on a statewide disaster alert system and implementation of that system and to notice to elected officials of a widespread power, water, or natural gas outage or emergency.

Relating to the establishment of the Texas Energy Disaster Reliability Council.

Relating to the sale of wholesale indexed products by retail electric providers.

Relating to a restriction on the regulation of utility services and infrastructure based on the energy source to be used or delivered.

Granting the legislature permission to adjourn for more than three days during the period beginning on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, and ending on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

Respectfully,

/s/Robert Haney, Chief Clerk

House of Representatives

On motion of Senator Huffman and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 24 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 24, Relating to the procedures required before a law enforcement agency hires a peace officer.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Huffman moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 24 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Senator Campbell moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration SB 650 at this time on its third reading and final passage:

SB 650, Relating to prohibited logistical support by a governmental entity for procurement of an abortion or the services of an abortion provider.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 19, Nays 12.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Lucio, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 19, Nays 12. (Same as previous roll call)

On motion of Senator Bettencourt and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration SB 244 at this time on its second reading:

SB 244, Relating to the application of the open meetings law to the board of directors of certain tax reinvestment zones.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Bettencourt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 244 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Kolkhorst and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 809 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 809, Relating to health care institution reporting of federal money received for the coronavirus disease public health emergency.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Kolkhorst moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 809 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Zaffirini and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 884 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 884, Relating to the management and operation by The University of Texas System of a multi-institution center in the city of Laredo.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Zaffirini moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 884 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Creighton and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 788 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 788, Relating to the development of model data-sharing agreements for sharing certain student information between public schools, public and private institutions of higher education, and other entities.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Creighton moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 788 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Kolkhorst and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 1137 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 1137, Relating to the required disclosure by hospitals of prices for hospital services and items; providing administrative penalties.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Kolkhorst moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 1137 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Zaffirini and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 930 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 930, Relating to the disclosure of certain information regarding the occurrence of communicable diseases in residential facilities.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Zaffirini moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 930 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Seliger and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration SB 1103 at this time on its second reading:

SB 1103, Relating to the regulation of nurse aides; requiring an occupational registration.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment.

Senator Seliger moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 1103 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

On motion of Senator Schwertner and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 291 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 291, Relating to the posting of certain project information at a commercial building construction site.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Nays:  Springer.

Senator Schwertner moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 291 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1.

Nays:  Springer.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1. (Same as previous roll call)

On motion of Senator Huffman and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration SB 516 at this time on its second reading:

SB 516, Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of criminal mischief involving impairment or interruption of access to an automated teller machine.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Nays:  Eckhardt.

Senator Huffman moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 516 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1.

Nays:  Eckhardt.

Senator Perry moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration SB 155 at this time on its second reading:

SB 155, Relating to the use of information from the lists of noncitizens and nonresidents excused or disqualified from jury service.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 13.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

The bill was read second time.

Senator Eckhardt offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend SB 155 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 18.068(a), Election Code (page 1, lines 25-26), strike "Sections [Section] 62.113 and 62.114," and substitute "Section 62.113,".

(2)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 18.068(a), Election Code (page 1, line 31), strike the underlined colon.

(3)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 18.068(a), Election Code (page 1, line 32), strike "(1)".

(4)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 18.068(a), Election Code (page 1, line 33), strike "; and" and substitute ".".

(5)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 18.068(a), Election Code (page 1), strike lines 34 through 36.

(6)  Strike SECTIONS 2 and 3 of the bill (page 1, line 37, through page 2, line 1), and renumber subsequent SECTIONS accordingly.

The amendment to SB 155 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Eckhardt offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend SB 155 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  Section 16.031, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 16.031.  CANCELLATION ON OFFICIAL NOTICE OF INELIGIBILITY. (a) Subject to Subsection (c), the [The] registrar shall cancel a voter's registration [immediately] on receipt of:

(1)  notice under Section 13.072(b) or 15.021 or a response under Section 15.053 that the voter's residence is outside the county;

(2)  an abstract of the voter's death certificate under Section 16.001(a) or an abstract of an application indicating that the voter is deceased under Section 16.001(b);

(3)  an abstract of a final judgment of the voter's total mental incapacity, partial mental incapacity without the right to vote, conviction of a felony, or disqualification under Section 16.002, 16.003, or 16.004;

(4)  notice under Section 112.012 that the voter has applied for a limited ballot in another county;

(5)  notice from a voter registration official in another state that the voter has registered to vote outside this state;

(6)  notice from the early voting clerk under Section 101.053 that a federal postcard application submitted by an applicant states a voting residence address located outside the registrar's county; or

(7)  notice from the secretary of state that the voter has registered to vote in another county, as determined by the voter's driver's license number or personal identification card number issued by the Department of Public Safety or social security number.

(b)  Subject to Subsection (c), the [The] registrar shall cancel a voter's registration [immediately] if the registrar:

(1)  determines from information received under Section 16.001(c) that the voter is deceased;

(2)  has personal knowledge that the voter is deceased;

(3)  receives from a person related within the second degree by consanguinity or affinity, as determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, to the voter a sworn statement by that person indicating that the voter is deceased; or

(4)  receives notice from the secretary of state under Section 18.068 that the voter is deceased.

(c)  The secretary of state shall adopt rules and procedures requiring a registrar to deliver to a registered voter a written notice that the voter's registration is subject to cancellation under this section. The notice must instruct the voter that the voter may submit to the registrar proof of residence or life, as appropriate, to prevent the cancellation of the voter's registration. A voter's registration shall be canceled under this section if the voter fails to submit to the registrar the required proof on or before the 30th day after the date the notice is mailed.

The amendment to SB 155 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

SB 155 was passed to engrossment by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 13.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

On motion of Senator Hancock and by unanimous consent, Senate Rule 11.10(a) and Senate Rule 11.18(a) were suspended in order that the Committee on Business and Commerce might meet today.

On motion of Senator Whitmire, the Senate at 5:05 p.m. recessed until 5:30 p.m. today.

The Senate met at 5:53 p.m. and was called to order by the President.

The President announced the signing of the following enrolled resolution in the presence of the Senate:  SCR 37.

At the request of the President, the Senate observed a moment of silence in honor of Texas DPS Trooper Chad Walker.

The President at 10:02 p.m. announced the Senate would stand At Ease subject to the call of the Chair.

The President at 10:20 p.m. called the Senate to order as In Legislative Session.

On motion of Senator Kolkhorst and by unanimous consent, Senate Rule 11.13 was suspended to grant the Committee on Health and Human Services permission to meet while the Senate is meeting today.

On motion of Senator Kolkhorst and by unanimous consent, Senate Rule 11.10(a) and Senate Rule 11.18(a) were suspended in order that the Committee on Health and Human Services might meet and hear public testimony in the Betty King Committee Room today.

Senator Hughes moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 7 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 7, Relating to elections, including election integrity and security; creating a criminal offense; providing civil penalties.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 13.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

The bill was read second time.

Senator Menéndez offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.___.  Subchapter A, Chapter 85, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 85.0055 to read as follows:

Sec. 85.0055.  VOTING AFTER POLLS CLOSE. (a) A voter who has not voted before the time for closing an early voting polling place is entitled to vote after that time if the voter is inside or waiting to enter the polling place at closing time.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 1.

Senator Hughes offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  In SECTION 2.07 of the bill, in added Section 86.006(a-2), Election Code (page 4, line 11), strike "at the time of delivery by a person" and substitute "by a person at the time of delivery".

(2)  In SECTION 2.09 of the bill, adding Section 86.015, Election Code (page 4, between lines 61 and 62), insert the following appropriately lettered subsection:

(3)  Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.___.  Subchapter C, Chapter 33, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 33.063 to read as follows:

(4)  Strike SECTION 3.05 of the bill, amending Section 43.007, Election Code (page 6, lines 33-69), and substitute the following appropriately numbered SECTION:

SECTION 3.____.  Section 43.007, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsection (m) and adding Subsection (m-1) to read as follows:

(m)  In adopting a methodology under Subsection (f), the county must ensure that:

(1)  in a county with a population of less than one million:

(A)  each county commissioners precinct contains at least one countywide polling place; and

(B) [(2)]  the total number of permanent branch and temporary branch polling places open for voting in a county commissioners precinct does not exceed more than twice the number of permanent branch and temporary branch polling places in another county commissioners precinct; and

(2)  in a county with a population of one million or more, the number of polling places located in each state representative district included in the territory of the county is calculated by dividing the number of eligible voters residing in that district by the total number of eligible voters residing in the county and using the number generated as a percentage to allocate the same percentage of polling place locations, rounding up to the nearest whole number, if necessary.

(5)  In the recital to SECTION 3.09 of the bill (page 7, at the beginning of line 33), insert "(f-1),".

(6)  In SECTION 3.09 of the bill, amending Section 64.009, Election Code (page 7, line 43), between "A person who" and "assists", insert "simultaneously".

(7)  In SECTION 3.09 of the bill, amending Section 64.009, Election Code (page 7, line 45), between "form" and "that contains", insert ", provided by an election officer,".

(8)  In SECTION 3.09 of the bill, amending Section 64.009, Election Code (page 7, between lines 48 and 49), insert the following:

(9)  In SECTION 3.09 of the bill, amending Section 64.009, Election Code (page 7, line 53), strike "upon request" and substitute "if the attorney general has received a complaint to which the information may be responsive".

(10)  In the recital to SECTION 3.17 (page 9, line 31), strike "Section 85.062(b), Election Code, is amended" and substitute "Section 85.062, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (f-1)".

(11)  Amend SECTION 3.17 of the bill, amending Section 85.062, Election Code (page 9, between lines 45 and 46) by inserting the following:

(12)  In SECTION 3.21 of the bill, amending Section 127.1232, Election Code (page 10, lines 7-12), strike added Subsection (b) and substitute the following:

(13)  In SECTION 3.22 of the bill, in added Section 129.003, Election Code (page 10, line 29), between "Title 13" and the underlined comma, insert "or an election contest under Title 14".

(14)  In SECTION 3.22 of the bill, in added Section 129.003, Election Code (page 10, between lines 31 and 32), insert "or in an election contest,".

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read.

Senator West offered the following amendment to Floor Amendment No. 2:

Amend Floor Amendment No. 2 by Hughes to CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by striking Instruction No. 4 and substituting the following:

(4)  Strike SECTION 3.05 of the bill, amending Section 43.007, Election Code (page 6, lines 33-69), and renumber subsequent SECTIONs accordingly.

Floor Amendment No. 3 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Question recurring on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 2 to CSSB 7, the amendment was adopted by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 13.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Senator Hinojosa offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 1 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 1 accordingly:

SECTION ____.  Chapter 1, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 1.0055 to read as follows:

Sec. 1.0055.  RIGHT TO VOTE. Every citizen of this state, who is qualified to vote under the Texas Constitution and the provisions of this code, has a fundamental right to vote in any election for which the voter is eligible.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Hinojosa offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION ___.  Subchapter A, Chapter 65, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 65.0001 to read as follows:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Zaffirini offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by striking SECTION 2.06 of the bill, amending Section 86.0015, Election Code (page 3, lines 44-67), and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 2 accordingly.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 6.

Senator Taylor offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 4 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 4 accordingly:

SECTION 4.___. Section 276.013(a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a)  A person commits an offense if the person knowingly or intentionally makes any effort to:

(1)  influence the independent exercise of the vote of another in the presence of the ballot or during the voting process;

(2)  cause a voter to become registered, a ballot to be obtained, or a vote to be cast under false pretenses; [or]

(5) [(3)]  cause any intentionally misleading statement, representation, or information to be provided:

(A)  to an election official; or

(B)  on an application for ballot by mail, carrier envelope, or any other official election-related form or document.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 7.

Senator Hinojosa offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered ARTICLE to the bill and renumbering subsequent ARTICLES accordingly:

ARTICLE __. ILLEGAL VOTING

SECTION ___.01.  Section 64.012, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

SECTION ___.02.  The change in law made by this article applies 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 on the date 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.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Hinojosa offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  In SECTION 2.01 of the bill, adding Section 84.0011, Election Code (page 2, line 30), insert "(a)" between the underlined period and "The".

(2)  In SECTION 2.01 of the bill, adding Section 84.0011, Election Code (page 2, between lines 32 and 33), insert the following:

(2)  In SECTION 2.04 of the bill, adding Section 84.0111, Election Code (page 3, between lines 27 and 28), insert the following:

(c)  This section may not be construed to prohibit an early voting clerk or another county official from

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Powell offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB  7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  In SECTION 2.10 of the bill, in amended Section 87.027(i), Election Code (page 4, line 69 through page 5, line 1), strike "[made within the preceding six years and]" and substitute "made within the preceding six years and".

(2)  In SECTION 2.11 of the bill, in amended Section 87.041(e), Election Code (page 5, lines 16-17), strike "[made within the preceding six years and]" and substitute "made within the preceding six years and".

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Hinojosa offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to ARTICLE 2 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 2 accordingly:

SECTION 2.____.  Subchapter B, Chapter 87, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 87.0271 to read as follows:

SECTION 2.____.  Subchapter C, Chapter 87, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 87.0411 to read as follows:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Zaffirini offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CCSB 7 (senate committee printing) in ARTICLE 3 of the bill as follows:

(1)  Strike SECTION 3.01 of that article, amending Section 33.006(b), Election Code (page 5, line 54, through page 6, line 4).

(2)  Strike SECTION 3.02 of that article, amending Section 33.051(c), Election Code (page 6, lines 5-12).

(3)  Strike SECTION 3.07 of that article, amending Section 61.014, Election Code (page 7, lines 8-23).

(4)  Renumber remaining SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Zaffirini offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by striking the following SECTIONS from ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering the SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

(1)  SECTION 3.06, amending Section 43.031(b), Election Code (page 7, lines 1-7);

(2)  SECTION 3.16, amending Section 85.061(a), Election Code (page 9, lines 19-30); and

(3)  SECTION 3.17, amending Section 85.062(b), Election Code (page 9, lines 31-45).

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator West offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  Strike SECTION 3.07 of the bill amending Section 61.014, Election Code (page 7, lines 8 through 23), and substitute the following:

SECTION 3.07.  Section 61.014, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:

(a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b), a [A] person may not use a wireless communication device or [within 100 feet of a voting station.

[(b)     A person may not use] any mechanical or electronic means of recording images or sound within 15 [100] feet of a voting station.

(2)  Strike SECTION 5.01 of the bill (page 13, lines 12 and 13) and substitute the following:

SECTION 5.01.  Sections 62.0111 and 85.062(e), Election Code, are repealed.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Zaffirini offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  Strike SECTION 3.09 of the bill, amending Section 64.009, Election Code (page 7, lines 31-55).

(2)  Strike SECTION 3.10 of the bill, adding Section 64.0322, Election Code (page 7, line 56, through page 8, line 4).

(3)  Renumber the sections of ARTICLE 3 appropriately.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Zaffirini offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by striking SECTION 3.13 of the bill, amending Section 85.005, Election Code (page 8, line 34 through page 9, line 7), and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) in SECTION 3.22 of the bill, in added Section 129.003, Election Code (page 10, between lines 50 and 51), by inserting the following:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read.

Senator Hall temporarily withdrew Floor Amendment No. 17.

Senator West offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.____.  Subchapter B, Chapter 33, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 33.036 to read as follows:

(2)  In the recital to SECTION 4.02 of the bill (page 12, line 6), strike "Subsection (g)" and substitute "Subsections (g) and (h)".

(3)  In SECTION 4.02 of the bill, amending Section 33.051, Election Code (page 12, between lines 10 and 11), insert the following:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read.

Senator West temporarily withdrew Floor Amendment No. 18.

Senator Eckhardt offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION ____.  Section 33.001, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 33.001.  WATCHER DEFINED. In this code, "watcher" means a person appointed under this subchapter to observe the conduct of an election on behalf of a candidate, a political party, a nonpartisan election observation organization, or the proponents or opponents of a measure.

SECTION ____.  Section 33.007(d), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(d)  The number of watchers accepted for service on each side of a measure may not exceed the number authorized by this section. If the number of appointments exceeds the authorized number, the authority accepting the watchers for service shall accept the watchers in the order in which they present their certificates of appointment. A watcher appointed under Section 33.008 is not subject to the limitation of this subsection.

SECTION ____.  Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 33.008 to read as follows:

SECTION ____.  Section 33.031, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 33.031.  GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), to [To] be eligible to serve as a watcher, a person must be a qualified voter:

(1)  of the county in which the person is to serve, in an election ordered by the governor or a county authority or in a primary election;

(2)  of the part of the county in which the election is held, in an election ordered by the governor or a county authority that does not cover the entire county of the person's residence; and

(3)  of the political subdivision, in an election ordered by an authority of a political subdivision other than a county.

SECTION ____.  Section 213.013, Election Code, is amended by adding Subsection (d-1) to read as follows:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.___.  Subchapter A, Chapter 65, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 65.016 to read as follows:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1.

Nays:  Eckhardt.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of that ARTICLE accordingly:

SECTION ___.  Chapter 121, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 121.004 to read as follows:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 21.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.____.  Section 85.033, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 85.033.  SECURITY OF VOTING MACHINE. (a) At the close of early voting each day, the early voting clerk shall secure each voting machine used for early voting in the manner prescribed by the secretary of state so that its unauthorized operation is prevented. The clerk shall unsecure the machine before the beginning of early voting the following day.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read.

Senator Hall temporarily withdrew Floor Amendment No. 22.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION ___.  Section 127.1301, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 127.1301.  [TALLYING, TABULATING, AND REPORTING] CENTRALLY COUNTED OPTICAL SCAN BALLOTS [BALLOT UNDERVOTES AND OVERVOTES]. (a) In an election using centrally counted optical scan ballots, the undervotes and overvotes on those ballots shall be tallied, tabulated, and reported by race and by election precinct in the form and manner prescribed by the secretary of state.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 23.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.__.  Sections 85.001(a) and (e), Election Code, are amended to read as follows:

(a)  The period for early voting by personal appearance begins on the 17th day before election day and continues through the [fourth] day before election day, except as otherwise provided by this section.

(e)  For an election held on the uniform election date in May and any resulting runoff election, the period for early voting by personal appearance begins on the 12th day before election day and continues through the [fourth] day before election day.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read.

Senator Hall withdrew Floor Amendment No. 24.

Senator Buckingham offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 4 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 4 accordingly:

SECTION 4.____.  Chapter 276, Election Code, is amended by adding Sections 276.014 and 276.015 to read as follows:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 13.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Senator Eckhardt offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  In the recital to SECTION 1.02, amending Section 13.002, Election Code (page 1, line 36), between "Subsection (c-1)" and "to read", insert "and amending Subsection (e)".

(2)  In SECTION 1.02 of the bill, in amended Section 13.002, Election Code (page 1, between lines 39 and 40), insert the following:

(e)  Notwithstanding Section 82.005, a [A] person who is certified for participation in the address confidentiality program administered by the attorney general under Subchapter B, Chapter 58, Code of Criminal Procedure, is not eligible for early voting by mail [under Section 82.007] unless the person submits an application under this section by personal delivery. The secretary of state may adopt rules to implement this subsection.

(3)  Strike SECTION 2.02 of the bill, adding Section 84.002(c), Election Code (page 2, lines 33 through 41), and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 2 accordingly.

(4)  Strike SECTION 2.03 of the bill, amending Section 84.011(a), Election Code (page 2, line 42 through page 3, line 15), and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 2 accordingly.

(5)  Strike SECTION 2.06 of the bill, adding Section 86.0015(b-3), Election Code (page 3, lines 44 through 67), and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 2 accordingly.

(6)  In the recital to SECTION 2.11 of the bill, amending Section 87.041, Election Code (page 5, line 12), strike "Section 87.041(e), Election Code, is" and substitute "Sections 87.041(b) and (e), Election Code, are".

(7)  In SECTION 2.11 of the bill, amending Section 87.041, Election Code (page 5, between lines 13 and 14), insert the following:

(b)  A ballot may be accepted only if:

(1)  the carrier envelope certificate is properly executed;

(2)  neither the voter's signature on the ballot application nor the signature on the carrier envelope certificate is determined to have been executed by a person other than the voter, unless signed by a witness;

(3)  [the voter's ballot application states a legal ground for early voting by mail;

[(4)]  the voter is registered to vote, if registration is required by law;

(4) [(5)     the address to which the ballot was mailed to the voter, as indicated by the application, was outside the voter's county of residence, if the ground for early voting is absence from the county of residence;

[(6)]  for a voter to whom a statement of residence form was required to be sent under Section 86.002(a), the statement of residence is returned in the carrier envelope and indicates that the voter satisfies the residence requirements prescribed by Section 63.0011; and

(5) [(7)]  the address to which the ballot was mailed to the voter is an address [that is otherwise] required by Sections 84.002 and 86.003.

(8)  Add the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to ARTICLE 2 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 2 accordingly:

SECTION 2.____.  Section 82.005, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 82.005.  ELIGIBILITY FOR EARLY VOTING [BY PERSONAL APPEARANCE]. Any qualified voter is eligible for early voting by mail or personal appearance.

SECTION 2.____.  Section 82.007, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 82.007.  PARTICIPATION IN ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM. Notwithstanding Section 82.005, a [A] qualified voter who, [is eligible for early voting by mail if:

[(1)     the voter submitted a registration application by personal delivery as required by Section 13.002(e); and

[(2)]  at the time the voter's early voting ballot application is submitted, [the voter] is certified for participation in the address confidentiality program administered by the attorney general under Subchapter B, Chapter 58, Code of Criminal Procedure, is eligible for early voting by mail only if the voter submitted a registration application by personal delivery as required by Section 13.002(e).

SECTION 2.____.  Section 84.001(a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a)  To be entitled to vote an early voting ballot by mail, a person [who is eligible for early voting] must make an application for an early voting ballot to be voted by mail as provided by this title.

SECTION 2.____.  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;

(2)  for an application for a ballot to be voted by mail by an applicant who will be absent from the applicant's [on the ground of absence from the] county of residence on election day, 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 by an applicant who is 65 years of age or older on election day or has a sickness or physical condition that requires the applicant to reside in a hospital or nursing home or other long-term care facility, or with 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 [on the ground of age or disability], the address of the retirement center, hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, [or retirement center,] or relative [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 by an applicant who is confined [on the ground of confinement] in jail as described by Section 84.009(a), the address of the jail or of a person related to the applicant within the degree described by Subdivision (3); and

(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[; and

[(6)     an indication of the ground of eligibility for early voting].

SECTION 2.____.  Section 84.009, Election Code, is amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (b) to read as follows:

(a)  This section applies only to an applicant who, at the time the application for a ballot to be voted by mail is submitted, is confined in jail:

(b)  On request of the applicant, an application for a ballot to be voted by mail [on the ground of confinement in jail] may be submitted to the early voting clerk, at the discretion of the authority in charge of the jail, by personal delivery by the jail authority or by a designated subordinate of the authority.

SECTION 2.____.  Section 84.011(a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a)  The officially prescribed application form for an early voting ballot must include:

(1)  immediately preceding the signature space the statement: "I certify that the information given in this application is true, and I understand that giving false information in this application is a crime.";

(2)  a statement informing the applicant of the offenses prescribed by Sections 84.003 and 84.004;

(3)  spaces for entering an applicant's voter registration number and county election precinct of registration, with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish that information does not invalidate the application; and

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

(A)  a space for an applicant [applying on the ground of absence from the county of residence] to indicate whether the applicant will be absent from the applicant's county of residence on election day and, if applicable, the date on or after which the applicant can receive mail at the address outside the county;

(B)  a space for indicating the fact that an applicant whose application is signed by a witness cannot make the applicant's mark and a space for indicating the relationship or lack of relationship of the witness to the applicant;

(C)  a space for entering an applicant's telephone number, with a statement informing the applicant that failure to furnish that information does not invalidate the application;

(D)  a space or box for an applicant who is 65 years of age or older on election day or has a sickness or physical condition that requires the applicant to reside in a hospital or nursing home or other long-term care facility, or with a relative, [applying on the ground of age or disability] to indicate that the address to which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a facility or relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), if applicable;

(E)  a space or box for an applicant confined [applying on the ground of confinement] in jail as described by Section 84.009(a) to indicate that the address to which the ballot is to be mailed is the address of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(4), if applicable;

(F)  a space for an applicant [applying on the ground of age or disability] to indicate if the application is an application under Section 86.0015;

(G)  spaces for entering the signature, printed name, and residence address of any person assisting the applicant;

(H)  a statement informing the applicant of the condition prescribed by Section 81.005; and

(I)  a statement informing the applicant of the requirement prescribed by Section 86.003(c).

SECTION 2.____.  Sections 86.001(b) and (c), Election Code, are amended to read as follows:

(b)  If the application complies with the applicable requirements prescribed by this title [applicant is entitled to vote an early voting ballot by mail], the clerk shall provide an official ballot to the applicant as provided by this chapter.

(c)  Except as provided by Section 86.008, if the applicant is not entitled to vote in the election [by mail], the clerk shall reject the application, enter on the application "rejected" and the reason for and date of rejection, and deliver written notice of the reason for the rejection to the applicant at both the residence address and mailing address on the application. A ballot may not be provided to an applicant whose application is rejected.

SECTION 2.____.  The heading to Section 86.0015, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 86.0015.  RECURRING [ANNUAL] BALLOTS BY MAIL.

SECTION 2.____.  Sections 86.0015(a) and (b), Election Code, are amended to read as follows:

(a)  This section applies only to an application for a ballot to be voted by mail that[:

[(1)     indicates the ground of eligibility is age or disability; and

[(2)]  does not specify the election for which a ballot is requested or has been marked by the applicant as an application for more than one election.

(b)  An application described by Subsection (a) is considered to be an application for a ballot for each election, including any ensuing runoff:

(1)  in which the applicant is eligible to vote; and

(2)  that occurs before the earlier of:

(A)  [except as provided by Subsection (b-2), the end of the calendar year in which the application was submitted;

[(B)]  the date the county clerk receives notice from the voter registrar under Subsection (f) that the voter has changed residence to another county; or

(B) [(C)]  the date the voter's registration is canceled.

SECTION 2.____.  Section 86.003(c), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c)  The address to which the balloting materials must be addressed is the address at which the voter is registered to vote, or the registered mailing address if different, unless the application to vote early by mail indicates that the voter [ground for voting by mail is]:

(1)  will be absent from the voter's [absence from the] county of residence on election day, in which case the address must be an address outside the voter's county of residence;

(2)  is confined [confinement] in jail as described by Section 84.009(a), in which case the address must be the address of the jail or of a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(4); or

(3)  is 65 years of age or older on election day or has a sickness or physical condition that requires the applicant to reside in a hospital or nursing home or other long-term care facility, or with a relative, [age or disability] and [the voter] is living at a retirement center, hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility, [or retirement center,] or with a relative described by Section 84.002(a)(3), in which case the address must be the address of that facility or relative.

SECTION 2.____.  Section 86.004(b), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b)  For an election to which Section 101.104 applies, the balloting materials for a voter who indicates on the application for a ballot to be voted by mail or the federal postcard application that the voter seeks [is eligible] to vote early by mail as a consequence of the voter's being outside the United States shall be mailed on or before the later of the 45th day before election day or the seventh calendar day after the date the clerk receives the application. However, if it is not possible to mail the ballots by the deadline of the 45th day before election day, the clerk shall notify the secretary of state within 24 hours of knowing that the deadline will not be met. The secretary of state shall monitor the situation and advise the clerk, who shall mail the ballots as soon as possible in accordance with the secretary of state's guidelines.

SECTION 2.____.  Section 102.001(a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a)  A qualified voter is eligible to vote a late ballot as provided by this chapter if the voter has a sickness or physical condition [described by Section 82.002] that prevents the voter from appearing at the polling place on election day without a likelihood of needing personal assistance or of injuring the voter's health and originates on or after the day before the last day for submitting an application for a ballot to be voted by mail.

(9)  Strike SECTION 5.01 of the bill (page 13, lines 12-13) and substitute the following:

SECTION 5.01.  The following provisions of the Election Code are repealed:

(1)  Sections 82.001, 82.002, 82.003, and 82.004; and

(2)  Sections 84.002(b), 85.062(e), 86.0015(b-2), and 112.002(b).

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by striking SECTION 5.01 of the bill, repealing Section 85.062(e), Election Code (page 13, lines 12 and 13), and substituting the following appropriately numbered SECTION:

SECTION ____.  The following provisions of the Election Code are repealed:

(1)  Section 85.062(e); and

(2)  Section 127.201(f).

The amendment to CSSB  7 was read.

Senator Hall withdrew Floor Amendment No. 27.

Senator Alvarado offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by striking SECTION 5.03 of the bill (page 13, lines 21-22) and substituting the following:

SECTION 5.03.  (a) The secretary of state is required to conduct a thorough analysis and produce a report that assesses whether this Act, were it to be implemented, would produce a disparate impact on women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, students, or racial and ethnic minorities.

(b)  If the report produced by the secretary of state concludes that a disparate impact on women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, students, or racial and ethnic minorities is likely to arise from the implementation of this Act, this Act has no effect.

(c)  The report produced under this section is a public record.

SECTION 5.04.  (a) Subject to Section 5.02 of this Act and except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section, this Act takes effect on the later of:

(1)  the date the secretary of state publishes the report described by Section 5.03(a) of this Act in which the secretary of state concludes that no provision of this Act will produce a disparate impact on women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, students, or racial and ethnic minorities; or

(2)  September 1, 2021.

(b)  Section 5.03 of this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 18.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Senator Hall again offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) in SECTION 3.22 of the bill, in added Section 129.003, Election Code (page 10, between lines 50 and 51), by inserting the following:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was again read.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to Floor Amendment No. 17:

Amend Floor Amendment No. 17 by Hall to CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) (page 1, lines 10-11) strike "Any watcher present may sign a tape printed under this subsection."

The amendment to Floor Amendment No. 17 to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 29.

Question recurring on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 17 to CSSB 7, the amendment as amended was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 17 as amended.

Senator West again offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.____.  Subchapter B, Chapter 33, Election Code, is amended by adding Section 33.036 to read as follows:

(2)  In the recital to SECTION 4.02 of the bill (page 12, line 6), strike "Subsection (g)" and substitute "Subsections (g) and (h)".

(3)  In SECTION 4.02 of the bill, amending Section 33.051, Election Code (page 12, between lines 10 and 11), insert the following:

The amendment to CSSB 7 was again read.

Senator West offered the following amendment to Floor Amendment No. 18:

Amend Floor Amendment No. 18 by West to CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by striking Instruction No. 1.

The amendment to Floor Amendment No. 18 to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 30.

Question recurring on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 18 to CSSB 7, the amendment as amended was adopted by a viva voce vote.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 18 as amended.

Senator Hall again offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 3 of the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 3 accordingly:

SECTION 3.____.  Section 85.033, Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 85.033.  SECURITY OF VOTING MACHINE. (a) At the close of early voting each day, the early voting clerk shall secure each voting machine used for early voting in the manner prescribed by the secretary of state so that its unauthorized operation is prevented. The clerk shall unsecure the machine before the beginning of early voting the following day.

The amendment to CSSB 7 was again read.

Senator Hall offered the following amendment to Floor Amendment No. 22:

Amend Floor Amendment No. 22 by Hall to CSSB 7 (senate committee printing) (page 1, lines 14) by inserting after "day." the following:  "A defective, or in need of repair, machine may be removed from service and replaced."

The amendment to Floor Amendment No. 22 to CSSB 7 was read and was adopted by the following vote:  Yeas 22, Nays 9.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Powell, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor, West, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Whitmire.

Question recurring on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 22 to CSSB 7, the amendment as amended was adopted by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 13.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

CSSB 7 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 13.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Buckingham, Campbell, Creighton, Hall, Hancock, Huffman, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Nelson, Nichols, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Seliger, Springer, Taylor.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Hinojosa, Johnson, Lucio, Menéndez, Miles, Powell, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini.

On motion of Senator Nichols, Senator Menéndez will be shown as Co-author of SB 5.

On motion of Senator Hughes, Senator Taylor will be shown as Co-author of SB 7.

On motion of Senator Hughes, Senator Taylor will be shown as Co-author of SB 12.

On motion of Senator Nichols, Senator Blanco will be shown as Co-author of SB 15.

On motion of Senator Huffman, Senators Eckhardt, Hinojosa, Kolkhorst, Lucio, Menéndez, and Powell will be shown as Co-authors of SB 24.

On motion of Senator Zaffirini, Senator Miles will be shown as Co-author of SB 33.

On motion of Senator Perry, Senator Creighton will be shown as Co-author of SB 152.

On motion of Senator Lucio, Senators Hinojosa and Menéndez will be shown as Co-authors of SB 179.

On motion of Senator Bettencourt, Senator Creighton will be shown as Co-author of SB 244.

On motion of Senator Lucio, Senator Campbell will be shown as Co-author of SB 460.

On motion of Senator Nichols, Senator Lucio will be shown as Co-author of SB 507.

On motion of Senator Huffman, Senator Bettencourt will be shown as Co-author of SB 516.

On motion of Senator Bettencourt, Senator Hancock will be shown as Co-author of SB 581.

On motion of Senator Campbell, Senator Taylor will be shown as Co-author of SB 650.

On motion of Senator Buckingham, Senator Alvarado will be shown as Co-author of SB 674.

On motion of Senator Kolkhorst, Senator Buckingham will be shown as Co-author of SB 679.

On motion of Senator Hinojosa, Senator Campbell will be shown as Co-author of SB 780.

On motion of Senator Creighton, Senator Bettencourt will be shown as Co-author of SB 788.

On motion of Senator Kolkhorst, Senators Hinojosa, West, and Zaffirini will be shown as Co-authors of SB 809.

On motion of Senator Blanco, Senator Campbell will be shown as Co-author of SB 886.

On motion of Senator Eckhardt, Senators West and Whitmire will be shown as Co-authors of SB 891.

On motion of Senator Alvarado, Senators Buckingham, Huffman, and Nelson will be shown as Co-authors of SB 1065.

On motion of Senator Kolkhorst, Senator Bettencourt will be shown as Co-author of SB 1137.

On motion of Senator Hughes, Senator Johnson will be shown as Co-author of SB 1376.

On motion of Senator Campbell, Senator Menéndez will be shown as Co-author of SB 1441.

On motion of Senator Campbell, Senator Menéndez will be shown as Co-author of SB 1443.

On motion of Senator Bettencourt, Senator Campbell will be shown as Co-author of SB 1968.

The following resolutions were adopted by the Senate:

SR 217 by Springer, In memory of Christopher Ray Vardy.

SR 218 by Lucio, In memory of Paul Douglas Wooderson.

On motion of Senator Whitmire, the Senate at 1:38 a.m. Thursday, April 1, 2021, adjourned until 1:40 a.m. today.

The following committee reports were received by the Secretary of the Senate in the order listed:

BUSINESS AND COMMERCE — SB 1210, SB 1181, SB 1202, SB 1216, SB 790, SB 918, SB 874, SB 760, SB 1284, SB 1523, SB 1280, SB 195, SB 1203, SB 783

TRANSPORTATION — SB 935, CSSB 1308, SB 1323

LOCAL GOVERNMENT — CSSB 796, CSSB 709, SB 479, SB 186, CSSB 230

BUSINESS AND COMMERCE — CSSB 965, CSSB 415, SB 1368, CSSB 14, SB 398

SB 5, SB 24, SB 30, SB 244, SB 291, SB 507, SB 516, SB 650, SB 788, SB 809, SB 884, SB 930, SB 1103, SB 1137

SCR 37, SR 214, SR 215, SR 217, SR 218