---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the signature required on a carrier envelope for a ballot voted by mail; changing the elements of a criminal offense."
description: "Relating to the signature required on a carrier envelope for a ballot voted by mail; changing the elements of a criminal offense."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "88"
identifier: "HB 1299"
citation: "Texas HB 1299 (88)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["DIGITAL SIGNATURES (S0144)", "Elections--Early Voting (I0260)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Noble", "Paxton"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 50
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2023-01-12"
last_action: "2023-06-12"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c4d5ee58-b498-4107-92f8-bd6c82b83bbf"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/88R/billhistory/house_bills/HB01200_HB01299/HB 1299.xml"
source_hash: "5b3ec94ba08a98a76b07bf2edcf4d2fb8759ff12954e49e30ec0f77422dd8e28"
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 1299 (88) — Relating to the signature required on a carrier envelope for a ballot voted by mail; changing the elements of a criminal offense.

## 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/HB01299I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB01299E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB01299H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB01299S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB01299F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **20–11** (pass) · upper
- passage — **86–48** (pass) · lower
- passage — **25–6** (pass) · upper
- passage — **91–48** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Noble — primary (person)
- Paxton — primary (person)
- Bumgarner — cosponsor (person)
- Cunningham — cosponsor (person)
- Tepper — cosponsor (person)
- Thimesch — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-12** Filed `filing`
- **2023-03-03** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-03-03** Referred to Elections `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-20** Considered in public hearing
- **2023-04-20** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2023-04-20** Left pending in committee
- **2023-04-27** Considered in public hearing
- **2023-04-27** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-05** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator `filing`
- **2023-05-06** Committee report distributed
- **2023-05-06** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2023-05-08** Considered in Calendars
- **2023-05-10** Placed on General State Calendar
- **2023-05-11** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-05-11** Point of order withdrawn `withdrawal`
- **2023-05-11** Passed to engrossment
- **2023-05-11** Record vote
- **2023-05-11** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2023-05-12** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-05-12** Passed `passage`
- **2023-05-12** Record vote
- **2023-05-12** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2023-05-12** Reported engrossed
- **2023-05-15** Received from the House `introduction`
- **2023-05-16** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2023-05-16** Referred to State Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2023-05-18** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2023-05-18** Considered in public hearing
- **2023-05-18** Testimony taken in committee
- **2023-05-18** Vote taken in committee
- **2023-05-19** Reported favorably w/o amendments `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-19** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2023-05-21** Placed on intent calendar
- **2023-05-22** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2023-05-22** Record vote
- **2023-05-22** Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading `reading-2`
- **2023-05-22** Record vote
- **2023-05-22** Remarks ordered printed
- **2023-05-22** Three day rule suspended
- **2023-05-22** Record vote
- **2023-05-22** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-05-22** Passed `passage`
- **2023-05-22** Record vote
- **2023-05-22** Senate passage reported `passage`
- **2023-05-23** Reported enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-05-25** Signed in the House `passage`
- **2023-05-26** Signed in the Senate `passage`
- **2023-05-26** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-06-12** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-06-12** 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/c4d5ee58-b498-4107-92f8-bd6c82b83bbf`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).