Committee approves bill to require background checks for registrars, pay on emergency days and limit published registration details

Representative Oak Jones presented House Bill 521 to require background checks for registrars and to provide several protections and changes to how registrars are handled during declared emergencies.

Oak Jones said the bill would require background checks for registrars, require the state to pay registrars for scheduled working days affected by a declared county, state, or federal emergency when courthouses are closed, and make registrars eligible for emergency relief funding that was omitted in some prior rounds of COVID-related aid. The bill would also limit the public voter registration list to names only, removing addresses and phone numbers to address privacy concerns in courthouses.

A committee member presented an amendment from the packet and the committee adopted the amendment by voice vote. The committee then gave HB521 a favorable report as amended by voice vote.

The transcript records acceptance of the amendment and the favorable report by voice vote; numeric roll‑call counts are not recorded in the transcript.