Bill: SB 466, 86(R) - 2019

Committee

Senate State Affairs

2nd Chamber Committee

House Elections

Vote Recommendation

Vote Recommendation Economic Freedom Property Rights Personal Responsibility Limited Government Individual Liberty
No Neutral Neutral Neutral Neutral Negative

Author(s)

Pat Fallon

Bill Caption

Relating to the eligibility of persons finally convicted of a felony to run for certain public offices.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

Currently, the Election Code provides that to be eligible for public office, a person must not have been "finally convicted of a felony from which the person has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities." SB 466 would delete the "resulting disabilities" language, clarifying that only a convicted felon who has received a pardon would be authorized to run for office.

Vote Recommendation Notes

Texas Action recommends opposing SB 466 because it infringes on individual liberty. While we acknowledge that the current law is vague, and there is no legal precedent defining the term "resulting disabilities," we disagree with preventing all individuals who have been convicted of any felony from running for public office. As written, this bill would continue to prevent people who committed nonviolent, first-time offenses from running for public office. For example, in Texas cheating in a fishing tournament is a felony offense - an offense which should not result in prohibition from running for public office. An improvement would be to encourage restoration and reintegration, and let the voters decide whether the individual is fit for public office.


Source URL (retrieved on 03/29/2024 06:03 AM): http://reports.texasaction.com/bill/86r/sb466?print_view=true