Texas House Bill HB 3028

Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

• Filed: 2/19/25

Caption

Relating to requiring notice regarding the potential eligibility to vote of certain persons convicted of a felony.

Summary

HB 3028 requires written notice to certain people with felony convictions that they may be eligible to register to vote once they have completed the relevant sentence requirements. Specifically, when a judge discharges a felony defendant from community supervision, the judge must notify the person in writing about possible voter-registration eligibility. The bill also requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to provide similar written notice to an inmate or state jail defendant who completes a sentence, including any parole or mandatory supervision. The bill does not change the underlying voter-eligibility rules in the Election Code; instead, it adds notification duties to the criminal justice system so affected individuals are informed of a potential right they may already have under existing law. The new notice requirements apply only to people who fully discharge their sentence or complete probation on or after the bill’s effective date, September 1, 2025.

Impact

HB 3028 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Government Code by creating new notice provisions in Chapter 42A and Chapter 493. It adds Article 42A.703 to require judges to notify certain felony defendants upon discharge from community supervision, and Section 493.036 to require the department to notify eligible offenders upon completion of sentence-related supervision. The bill affects judges, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and formerly incarcerated individuals by formalizing a written notice process tied to voter-registration eligibility under Section 13.001 of the Election Code.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill was treated as a straightforward elections-related measure with no recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials. Its purpose appears administrative and informational rather than controversial, focusing on ensuring that people leaving the criminal justice system are aware of possible voter-registration eligibility. The referral to the Elections Committee is consistent with a generally procedural and rights-notification approach.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. Potential areas of concern, based on the bill text, could include whether the notice obligation should fall on judges versus the Department of Criminal Justice, how the notice will be implemented in practice, and whether the bill could create confusion if recipients misunderstand that eligibility still depends on existing law. However, no opposition or competing viewpoints are recorded in the supplied materials.