By: Schwertner, et al. S.B. No. 994 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the declaration of a candidate's ineligibility on the basis of failure to pay a filing fee or submit a petition in lieu of a filing fee. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Sections 145.003(b) and (f), Election Code, are amended to read as follows: (b) A candidate in the general election for state and county officers may be declared ineligible before the 30th day preceding election day by: (1) the party officer responsible for certifying the candidate's name for placement on the general election ballot, in the case of a candidate who is a political party's nominee; [or] (2) the authority with whom the candidate's application for a place on the ballot is required to be filed, in the case of an independent candidate; or (3) the secretary of state, if the candidate is ineligible under Subsection (f)(3). (f) A candidate may be declared ineligible only if: (1) the information on the candidate's application for a place on the ballot indicates that the candidate is ineligible for the office; [or] (2) facts indicating that the candidate is ineligible are conclusively established by another public record; or (3) the candidate fails to pay the filing fee or submit a petition in lieu of a filing fee. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.