Alabama 2023 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB96 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 HB96INTRODUCED
22 Page 0
33 SBMM55-1
44 By Representative Hall
55 RFD: Constitution, Campaigns and Elections
66 First Read: 07-Mar-23
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1111 5 SBMM55-1 02/22/2023 ANS (L) cr 2023-478
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1313 SYNOPSIS:
1414 Under existing law, an individual who has lost
1515 his or her right to vote based upon a past criminal
1616 conviction may apply to the Board of Pardons and
1717 Paroles for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to
1818 Vote under certain circumstances, including payment of
1919 all fines, court costs, fees, and victim restitution as
2020 ordered by the sentencing court and completion of
2121 probation or parole and release from compliance by the
2222 court or Board of Pardons and Paroles.
2323 This bill would eliminate the application
2424 requirement and the Certificate of Eligibility to
2525 Register to Vote and require the Board of Pardons and
2626 Paroles to determine whether an individual may have his
2727 or her right to vote restored if the individual has
2828 lost his or her right to vote by reason of conviction
2929 in a state or federal court and has been pardoned or
3030 released from incarceration or period of probation or
3131 parole.
3232 This bill would allow an indigent individual to
3333 have his or her right to vote restored if he or she has
3434 paid all fines and restitution and is in compliance
3535 with an approved payment plan for the payment of court
3636 costs and fees or an approved community service plan to
3737 offset the payment of court costs and fees.
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6767 A BILL
6868 TO BE ENTITLED
6969 AN ACT
7070 Relating to voting rights; to amend Sections
7171 15-22-36.1, 17-3-31, and 17-4-3, Code of Alabama 1975; to
7272 eliminate the application requirement and the Certificate of
7373 Eligibility to Register to Vote; to require the Board of
7474 Pardons and Paroles to determine whether an individual may
7575 have his or her right to vote restored if the individual has
7676 lost his or her right to vote by reason of conviction in a
7777 state or federal court and has been pardoned or released from
7878 incarceration or period of probation or parole; to allow an
7979 indigent individual to have his or her right to vote restored
8080 if he or she has paid all fines and restitution and is in
8181 compliance with an approved payment plan for the payment of
8282 court costs and fees or an approved community service plan to
8383 offset the payment of court costs and fees; to remove
8484 impeachment from the list of offenses that prohibit an
8585 individual from having his or her right to vote restored to
8686 make consistent with existing law; and to add Section
8787 17-3-31.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to require notification
8888 to the individual that his or her right to vote has been
8989 restored.
9090 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
9191 Section 1. Sections 15-22-36.1, 17-3-31, and 17-4-3,
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121121 Code of Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:
122122 "§15-22-36.1
123123 (a) Any other provision of law notwithstanding Except as
124124 provided in subsection (h) , any person individual who has lost
125125 his or her right to vote by reason of conviction in a state or
126126 federal court, regardless of the date of his or her sentence,
127127 may apply to the Board of Pardons and Paroles for a
128128 Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote shall have his
129129 or her right to vote restored if all both of the following
130130 requirements criteria are met on all disqualifying cases :
131131 (1) The person has lost his or her right to vote by
132132 reason of conviction in a state or federal court in any case
133133 except those listed in subsection (g).
134134 (2) The person has no criminal felony charges pending
135135 against him or her in any state or federal court.
136136 (3) The person has paid all fines, court costs, fees,
137137 and victim restitution ordered by the sentencing court at the
138138 time of sentencing on disqualifying cases.
139139 (1) The individual has done either of the following:
140140 a. Paid all fines, court costs, fees, and restitution
141141 ordered by the sentencing court at the time of sentencing.
142142 b. Paid all fines and restitution ordered by the
143143 sentencing court and with regard to all court costs and fees,
144144 has done either of the following:
145145 1. Made all payments for a period of not less than one
146146 year on court costs and fees pursuant to an approved payment
147147 plan.
148148 2. Complied with an approved community service plan
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178178 pursuant to Section 3 of the act adding this amendatory
179179 language for a period of not less than one year.
180180 (4)(2) Any of the following are true:
181181 a. The person individual has been released upon
182182 completion of sentence.
183183 b. The person individual has been pardoned.
184184 c. The person individual has successfully completed
185185 probation or parole and has been released from compliance by
186186 the ordering entity.
187187 (b) The circuit clerk of the court in which any
188188 outstanding fines, court costs, fees, or restitution are owed
189189 shall apply payments in the following order of priority:
190190 (1) To any restitution owed on a disqualifying case.
191191 (2) To any fines owed on a disqualifying case.
192192 (3) To any restitution owed on a non-disqualifying
193193 case.
194194 (4) To any fines, court costs, or fees owed on a
195195 non-disqualifying case.
196196 (b)(c) The Certificate of Eligibility to Register to
197197 Vote shall be granted board shall restore an individual's
198198 right to vote upon a determination that all of the individual
199199 has met the requirements criteria set forth in subsection (a)
200200 are fulfilled.
201201 (c) Upon receipt of an application under this section,
202202 (d) When an individual, who has lost his or her right
203203 to vote by reason of conviction in a state or federal court in
204204 any case except those listed in subsection (h) has met one of
205205 the criteria set forth in subdivision (a)(2), the Board of
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235235 Pardons and Paroles shall conduct a review to determine if the
236236 individual has complied with the criteria set forth in
237237 subdivision (a)(1) investigation of the request shall be
238238 assigned forthwith to an officer of the state Board of Pardons
239239 and Paroles. The An assigned officer of the board shall
240240 verify, through court records, records of the board, and
241241 records of the Department of Corrections, that the applicant
242242 individual has met the qualifications criteria set out in
243243 subsection (a). Within 30 14 calendar days of the initial
244244 application for a Certificate of Eligibility to Register to
245245 Vote review, the officer shall draft a report of his or her
246246 findings including a statement as to whether the applicant
247247 individual has successfully completed his or her sentence and
248248 has complied with all the eligibility requirements criteria
249249 provided in subsection (a).
250250 (d)(e) After completing the investigation review set
251251 out in subsection (c) (d), the officer shall submit his or her
252252 report of investigation to the Executive Director of the Board
253253 of Pardons and Paroles.
254254 (e)(f) If the report created pursuant to subsection (c)
255255 (d) states that the applicant individual has met all of the
256256 eligibility criteria set forth in subsection (a), and the
257257 executive director or his or her designee attests that the
258258 report has been submitted properly and accurately, the Board
259259 of Pardons and Paroles shall issue a Certificate of
260260 Eligibility to Register to Vote to restore the individual's
261261 right to vote and shall notify the applicant individual that
262262 his or her right to vote has been restored within 14 calendar
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292292 days of receipt of the report by the executive director.
293293 (f)(g) If the report created pursuant to subsection (c)
294294 (d) states that the applicant individual has not met all of
295295 the eligibility criteria set forth in subsection (a), and the
296296 executive director or his or her designee attests that the
297297 report has been submitted properly and accurately, the Board
298298 of Pardons and Paroles shall not issue a Certificate of
299299 Eligibility to Register to Vote and shall not restore the
300300 individual's right to vote and shall notify the applicant
301301 individual of the decision not to restore his or her right to
302302 vote and reason or reasons for the decision within 14 calendar
303303 days of receipt of the report by the executive director. The
304304 notice shall state what measures the individual must undertake
305305 in order to have his or her right to vote restored. The
306306 applicant, upon completion of the eligibility requirement in
307307 subsection (a) for restoration of his or her rights,
308308 individual may submit a new application a written request for
309309 a new review at any time if he or she has met the
310310 certification criteria . Upon receipt of a new request, the
311311 board shall conduct a review pursuant to the requirements set
312312 forth in subsections (d) through(g) .
313313 (g) A person(h) An individual who has lost his or her
314314 right to vote by reason of conviction in a state or federal
315315 court for any of the following offenses as they are set forth
316316 in Section 17-3-30.1 will not be eligible to apply for a
317317 Certificate of Eligibility to Register to Vote under this
318318 sectionis not eligible to have his or her right to vote
319319 restored: Impeachment, murder Murder, rape in any degree,
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349349 sodomy in any degree, sexual abuse in any degree, incest,
350350 sexual torture, enticing a child to enter a vehicle for
351351 immoral purposes, soliciting electronic solicitation of a
352352 child by computer, production of obscene matter involving a
353353 minor containing visual depiction of persons under 17 years of
354354 age involved in obscene acts, distribution, possession with
355355 intent to distribute, production of obscene material, or offer
356356 or agreement to distribute or produce obscene material ,
357357 production of obscene matter, parents or guardians permitting
358358 children to engage in production of obscene matter, possession
359359 of obscene matter, possession with intent to distribute child
360360 pornography, ordissemination or public display of obscene
361361 matter containing visual depiction of persons under 17 years
362362 of age involved in obscene acts, possession and possession
363363 with intent to disseminate obscene matter containing visual
364364 depiction of persons under 17 years of age involved in obscene
365365 acts, treason, or any crime as defined by the laws of the
366366 United State or by the laws of another state, territory,
367367 country, or other jurisdiction, which, if committed in this
368368 state, would constitute one of the offenses listed in this
369369 subsection.
370370 (h)(i) This section shall not affect the right of any
371371 person individual to apply to the board for a pardon with
372372 restoration of voting rights pursuant to Section 15-22-36.
373373 (i)(j) Each state or county correctional facility,
374374 prison, or jail shall post materials to be prepared by the
375375 Secretary of State and the Board of Pardons and Paroles
376376 notifying incarcerated individuals of the requirements
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406406 criteria and procedures for having one's voting rights
407407 restored.
408408 (k) No later than September 1, 2024, the Board of
409409 Pardons and Paroles and the Secretary of State shall jointly
410410 develop and make available on each agency's website a form
411411 with instructions for any individual who met one of the
412412 criteria set forth in subdivision (a)(2) prior to the
413413 effective date of the act adding this amendatory language to
414414 submit to the Board of Pardons and Paroles for review pursuant
415415 to the requirements set forth in subsections (d) through (g).
416416 (l) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall provide the
417417 Secretary of State with an individual's address and the date
418418 upon which the board restored the right to vote to an
419419 individual who has lost his or her right to vote by reason of
420420 conviction in a state or federal court.
421421 (m) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall post on the
422422 board's website a list of individuals whose right to vote has
423423 been restored pursuant to this section but does not have a
424424 known address."
425425 "§17-3-31
426426 (a) Any person individual who is disqualified by reason
427427 of conviction of any of the offenses mentioned in offense
428428 designated pursuant to Section 17-3-30.1 as a felony involving
429429 moral turpitude for the purposes of Article VIII, Section 177
430430 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901 2022, except treason
431431 and impeachment, whether the conviction was had in a state or
432432 federal court, and who has been pardoned, may be restored to
433433 citizenship with the right to vote by the State Board of
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463463 Pardons and Paroles when specifically expressed in the pardon.
464464 If otherwise qualified, such person the individual shall be
465465 permitted to register or reregister as an elector upon
466466 submission of a copy of the pardon document to the board of
467467 registrars of the county of his or her residence. In addition,
468468 any person
469469 (b)Any individual who has been granted a Certificate of
470470 Eligibility to Register to Vote by the Board of Pardons and
471471 Paroles pursuant to Section 15-22-36.1 was registered to vote
472472 at any time prior to losing his or her right to vote by reason
473473 of conviction in a state or federal court and has met the
474474 eligibility criteria set forth in Section 15-22-36.1(a) as
475475 determined by the Board of Pardons and Paroles , shall be
476476 eligible to vote.
477477 (c) Any individual who was not registered at any time
478478 prior to losing his or her right to vote by reason of
479479 conviction in a state or federal court and has met the
480480 eligibility criteria set forth in Section 15-22-36.1(a) as
481481 determined by the Board of Pardons and Paroles, shall be
482482 permitted to register or reregister as an elector upon
483483 submission of a copy of the certificate to the board of
484484 registrars of the county of his or her residence ."
485485 "§17-4-3
486486 (a) Each county board of registrars shall purge the
487487 computerized statewide voter registration list on a continuous
488488 basis, whenever it receives and confirms information that a
489489 person registered to vote in that county has died, become a
490490 nonresident of the state or county, been declared mentally
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520520 incompetent, been convicted of any offense designated pursuant
521521 to Section 17-3-30.1 as a felony involving moral turpitude for
522522 the purposes of Article VIII, Section 177 of the Constitution
523523 of Alabama of 1901 2022, since being registered, or otherwise
524524 become disqualified as an elector. Except as provided below, a
525525 person convicted of a disqualifying criminal offense shall be
526526 notified by certified mail sent to the voter's last known
527527 address of the board's intention to strike his or her name
528528 from the list. No person convicted of a disqualifying crime
529529 may be stricken from the poll list while an appeal from the
530530 conviction is pending.
531531 (b) On the date set in the notice, or at a later date
532532 to which the case may have been continued by the board, the
533533 board shall proceed to consider the case of the elector whose
534534 name it proposes to strike from the registration list and make
535535 its determination. Any person whose name is stricken from the
536536 list may appeal from the decision of the board without giving
537537 security for costs, and the board shall forthwith certify the
538538 proceedings to the judge of probate who shall docket the case
539539 in the probate court.
540540 (c) An appeal from the judge of probate shall be as
541541 appeals set forth in Section 17-3-55.
542542 (d) In the event the Board of Pardons and Paroles is
543543 supervising a person convicted of a disqualifying criminal
544544 offense on probation or parole, and the person has received
545545 face-to-face counseling from the supervising officer regarding
546546 voter disqualification and executed documentation explaining
547547 the loss and restoration of civil and political rights, upon
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577577 receipt of the documentation, signed by the disqualified
578578 elector, the county board of registrars shall be exempt from
579579 providing notice as otherwise required by this section. The
580580 document administered by the Board of Pardons and Paroles and
581581 to be signed by the disqualified elector shall contain the
582582 following statement: "Any person convicted of a disqualifying
583583 felony loses his or her civil and political rights, which
584584 includes the right to vote. Restoration of these rights may be
585585 applied for These rights may be restored through the Central
586586 Montgomery Office of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, but
587587 only upon completion of the requirements of Section
588588 15-22-36.1(a)."
589589 (e) The Board of Pardons and Paroles shall provide
590590 signed documentation to county boards of registrars to
591591 indicate those persons under probation or parole supervision
592592 with the board who have been convicted of a disqualifying
593593 criminal offense and been counseled regarding voter
594594 disqualification and the restoration of civil and political
595595 rights, and may otherwise share privileged records and files
596596 with county boards of registrars for the limited purpose of
597597 implementing the requirements of this section.
598598 (f) When the board has sufficient evidence furnished it
599599 that any elector has permanently moved from one precinct to
600600 another within the county, it shall change the elector's
601601 precinct designation in the voter registration list, and shall
602602 give notice by mail to the elector of the precinct in which
603603 the elector is registered to vote.
604604 (g) The Secretary of State and the Board of Pardons and
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634634 Paroles may promulgate adopt rules in accordance with the
635635 Alabama Administrative Procedure Act as necessary to implement
636636 this section."
637637 Section 2. Section 17-3-31.1 is added to the Code of
638638 Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
639639 (a) Upon receipt of information provided by the Board
640640 of Pardons and Paroles pursuant to Section 15-22-36.1(l), the
641641 Secretary of State shall notify the individual and the board
642642 of registrars of the county in which the individual resides of
643643 the date upon which the board restored his or her right to
644644 vote.
645645 (b) The board of registrars of the county in which the
646646 individual resides shall add the individual's name to the poll
647647 list and notify the individual of the date that he or she is
648648 eligible to vote. This subsection does not apply to any
649649 individual who has had his or her right to vote restored but
650650 has never registered to vote prior to losing his or her right
651651 to vote by reason of conviction in a state or federal court.
652652 (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section
653653 15-22-36.1(l), if an individual, who has had his or her right
654654 to vote restored pursuant to Section 15-22-36.1, but does not
655655 have a known address, the Board of Pardons and Paroles shall
656656 not be required to notify the Secretary of State of the
657657 individual's address.
658658 Section 3. (a) As used in this section, the following
659659 terms have the following meanings:
660660 (1) BOARD. The Board of Pardons and Paroles.
661661 (2) COMMUNITY SERVICE PLAN. A plan designed by the
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691691 board, through the community service program, for an indigent
692692 individual to offset the payment of court costs and fees.
693693 (3) COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM. A program established by
694694 the board pursuant to subsection (b).
695695 (b) The board shall establish a community service
696696 program in order to develop options and requirements for
697697 individuals who are indigent to engage in community service to
698698 offset the payment of court costs and fees. The community
699699 service program shall establish guidelines for the design of
700700 community service plans under the program. The board shall
701701 annually submit a report to the Legislative Council to
702702 consider the nonprofit programs offered to individuals by the
703703 board, the use of resources, and the success or shortcomings
704704 of the program.
705705 (c) The board shall not require any individual to
706706 participate in the community service program. No individual
707707 shall participate in a community service program without his
708708 or her informed consent.
709709 (d) An individual in the community service program
710710 shall receive credit for outstanding court costs and fees at
711711 an amount equal to the specified hourly credit rate per hour
712712 of community service performed, which shall reduce the
713713 outstanding court costs and fees by the amount of the credit.
714714 The circuit clerk of the court in which the outstanding court
715715 costs and fees are owed shall apply the credit in the order of
716716 priority set forth in Section 15-22-36.1(b), Code of Alabama
717717 1975. As used in this subsection, the term "specified hourly
718718 credit rate" means the wage rate that is specified in 29
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748748 U.S.C. § 206(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
749749 (e) The board shall establish a community service
750750 program by December 31, 2023.
751751 (f) An individual demonstrating economic hardship may
752752 petition the board to participate in a community service plan
753753 to offset the payment of court costs and fees.
754754 Section 4. This act shall become effective on the first
755755 day of the third month following its passage and approval by
756756 the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.
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