HCS/HB 269 - Under current law, candidates for certain offices are required to pay a filing fee to the respective committee of the political party whose nomination the candidate is seeking and such fee may be paid either directly to the treasurer of the committee or to the office that is responsible for accepting the candidate's declaration of candidacy. This act stipulates that candidates required to file the declaration of candidacy with the Secretary of State shall pay the fee directly to the respective political party committee. Current law provides that all costs associated with the implementation of the voter identification law shall be reimbursed from the general revenue by an appropriation for that purpose and if there is not a sufficient appropriation for that purpose then the voter identification law shall not be enforced. This act provides that only costs associated with providing free identification and the source documents to obtain such identification, rather than every requirement relating to the voter identification law, shall be reimbursed from the general revenue by an appropriation for that purpose and if there is not a sufficient appropriation for that purpose then the voter identification law shall not be enforced.
The act additionally allows the Secretary of State to issue and enforce subpoenas when it is necessary to conduct an investigation of certain election offenses. These powers may only be exercised by the Secretary or an authorized representative of the Secretary at the written direction of the Secretary or his or her chief deputy. Failure to comply with a subpoena may be enforced through court order.
This act is substantially similar to SB 221 (2019).
SCOTT SVAGERA