---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to establishing a pilot program for recording ballot counting activity."
description: "Relating to establishing a pilot program for recording ballot counting activity."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "88"
identifier: "HB 246"
citation: "Texas HB 246 (88)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Elections--Administration (I0277)", "Elections--Election Officers (I0305)", "SECRETARY OF STATE (V0042)", "VIDEO CAMERAS (S0786)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bettencourt", "Smith", "Swanson"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 48
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2022-11-14"
last_action: "2023-06-18"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/371f5823-6ee7-45f4-9e2d-8a0568b341be"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/88R/billhistory/house_bills/HB00200_HB00299/HB 246.xml"
source_hash: "733ffe59bde29f7371a395279030b5827df299581ac3ae91ebfc1e437f4c28ba"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tx"]
---

# Texas HB 246 (88) — Relating to establishing a pilot program for recording ballot counting activity.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB00246I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB00246E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB00246H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB00246S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB00246F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **19–12** (pass) · upper
- passage — **19–12** (pass) · upper
- passage — **83–58** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Bettencourt — primary (person)
- Smith — primary (person)
- Swanson — primary (person)
- Capriglione — cosponsor (person)
- Creighton — cosponsor (person)
- DeAyala — cosponsor (person)
- Leo-Wilson — cosponsor (person)
- Metcalf — cosponsor (person)
- Thimesch — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2022-11-14** Filed `filing`
- **2023-02-23** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-02-23** Referred to Elections `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-04** Considered in public hearing
- **2023-04-04** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2023-04-04** Left pending in committee
- **2023-04-13** Considered in public hearing
- **2023-04-13** Committee substitute considered in committee `substitution`
- **2023-04-13** Reported favorably as substituted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-25** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator `filing`
- **2023-04-25** Committee report distributed
- **2023-04-26** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2023-04-28** Considered in Calendars
- **2023-05-02** Placed on General State Calendar
- **2023-05-02** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-05-02** Passed to engrossment
- **2023-05-03** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-05-03** Passed `passage`
- **2023-05-03** Record vote
- **2023-05-03** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2023-05-03** Reported engrossed
- **2023-05-04** Received from the House `introduction`
- **2023-05-05** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-05-05** Referred to State Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2023-05-15** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2023-05-15** Considered in public hearing
- **2023-05-15** Testimony taken in committee
- **2023-05-15** Vote taken in committee
- **2023-05-16** Reported favorably w/o amendments `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-16** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2023-05-17** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2023-05-17** Placed on intent calendar
- **2023-05-17** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2023-05-17** Record vote
- **2023-05-17** Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading `reading-2`
- **2023-05-17** Record vote
- **2023-05-18** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2023-05-18** Record vote
- **2023-05-18** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-05-18** Passed `passage`
- **2023-05-18** Record vote
- **2023-05-19** Senate passage reported `passage`
- **2023-05-19** Reported enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-05-22** Signed in the House `passage`
- **2023-05-23** Signed in the Senate `passage`
- **2023-05-24** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-06-18** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-06-18** Effective on 9/1/23 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/371f5823-6ee7-45f4-9e2d-8a0568b341be`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).