The Texas state House on Friday passed a GOP-backed election overhaul bill that would add new penalties and rules, becoming the latest state Republican-led legislative body to pass similar legislation in recent days.
The House passed Senate Bill 7 on a 78-64 mostly party-line vote. The bill, which was first passed in the Senate but was significantly reworked in the House, will now head back to the Texas state Senate for a vote.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday lauded the Republican state lawmakers for passing the bill in the House.
“This bill will help ensure that we have trust & confidence in the outcome of our elections,” Abbott wrote in a tweet. “One step closer to my desk & making it TX law.”
The measure will make it a felony to provide voters with a vote-by-mail application if they hadn’t already requested one. It would also bar the usage of public funds to facilitate the distribution of mail-in voting applications.
“A person commits an offense if the person knowingly collects or possesses a ballot voted by mail or official carrier envelope from a voter in connection with vote harvesting services,” the bill’s text reads.
