Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0489 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 02/10/2025

                               
 
HB 489   	2025 
 
 
 
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 
hb489-00 
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P	R E S E N T A T I V E	S 
 
 
 
A bill to be entitled 1 
An act relating to restoration of voting rights 2 
database; amending s. 20.32, F.S.; requiring the 3 
Florida Commission on Offender Review to develop and 4 
maintain a database containing certain information for 5 
a certain purpose; requiring certain governmental 6 
entities to provide certain information to the 7 
commission; requiring the Department of Management 8 
Services, acting through the Florida Digital Service, 9 
to provide certain technical assistance to the 10 
commission; authorizing the department to adopt rules; 11 
requiring the commission to make available to the 12 
public the database on an Internet website by a date 13 
certain; requiring the commission to update the 14 
database monthly and publish certain information on 15 
the website; requiring the commission to provide to 16 
the Governor and Legislature a comprehensive plan by a 17 
date certain; providing requirements for the 18 
comprehensive plan; providing that a person who takes 19 
certain actions in reasonable reliance on the database 20 
may not be charged with certain violations of criminal 21 
law; requiring the commission to adopt rules; 22 
providing an effective date. 23 
 24 
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 25     
 
HB 489   	2025 
 
 
 
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 26 
 Section 1.  Subsection (4) is added to section 20.32, 27 
Florida Statutes, to read: 28 
 20.32  Florida Commission on Offender Review. — 29 
 (4)(a)  For the purpose of assisting a person who has been 30 
disqualified from voting based on a felony conviction other than 31 
murder or a felony sexual offense in determining whether he or 32 
she has met the requirements under s. 98.0751 and had his or her 33 
voting rights restored pursuant to s. 4, Art. VI of the State 34 
Constitution, the Florida Commission on Offender Review shall 35 
develop and maintain a database that contains for each such 36 
person all of the following information: 37 
 1.  His or her name and any other personal identifying 38 
information. 39 
 2.  The remaining length of any term of supervision, 40 
including, but not limited to, probation, community c ontrol, or 41 
parole, ordered by a court as a part of his or her sentence. 42 
 3.  The remaining amount of any restitution owed to a 43 
victim as ordered by a court as a part of his or her sentence. 44 
 4.  The remaining amount due of any fines or fees that were 45 
initially ordered by a court as a part of his or her sentence or 46 
as a condition of any form of supervision, including, but not 47 
limited to, probation, community control, or parole. 48 
 5.  The completion status of any other term ordered by a 49 
court as a part of his or her sentence. 50     
 
HB 489   	2025 
 
 
 
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 6.  Any other information needed to determine whether he or 51 
she has met the requirements for restoration of voting rights 52 
under s. 98.0751. 53 
 (b)  Each month, the Department of State, the Department of 54 
Corrections, clerks of the circuit co urts, county comptrollers, 55 
and the Board of Executive Clemency shall provide to the 56 
commission any information held by such governmental entity 57 
which is required under paragraph (a). 58 
 (c)  The Department of Management Services, acting through 59 
the Florida Digital Service, shall provide any technical 60 
assistance necessary for the commission to develop and maintain 61 
the database. The Department of Management Services may adopt 62 
rules to provide such assistance. 63 
 (d)  By July 1, 2028, the commission shall make ava ilable 64 
to the public the database on an Internet website. The 65 
commission must update the database monthly with the information 66 
received under paragraph (b). The commission shall publish on 67 
the website clear instructions that a person who has been 68 
disqualified from voting based on a felony conviction other than 69 
murder or a felony sexual offense may follow to have his or her 70 
voting rights restored and to register to vote. 71 
 (e)  By July 1, 2026, the commission shall provide to the 72 
Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 73 
House of Representatives a comprehensive plan that includes the 74 
following: 75     
 
HB 489   	2025 
 
 
 
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 1.  The governmental entities from which and the methods by 76 
which the commission shall collect, centralize, analyze, and 77 
secure the information r equired to be included in the database. 78 
 2.  A description of any infrastructure and services, 79 
including, but not limited to, software, hardware, and 80 
information technology services, that may be necessary to create 81 
and maintain the database. 82 
 3.  The anticipated number of additional employees 83 
necessary for: 84 
 a.  The commission to develop and maintain the database. 85 
 b.  A governmental entity to provide the information 86 
required under paragraph (b). 87 
 c.  The Florida Digital Service to provide the assistance 88 
required under paragraph (c). 89 
 4.  The anticipated cost to initially develop the database, 90 
annual cost to maintain the database, and annual appropriation 91 
required to fund the anticipated costs of the commission, each 92 
governmental entity, and the Florida Digi tal Service. 93 
 5.  Any legal authority necessary for the commission to 94 
develop and maintain the database. 95 
 6.  Draft legislation to implement the comprehensive plan. 96 
 (f)  Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a person who 97 
registers to vote or who votes in reasonable reliance on 98 
information contained in the database indicating that his or her 99 
voting rights have been restored pursuant to s. 4, Art. VI of 100     
 
HB 489   	2025 
 
 
 
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 
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the State Constitution has an affirmative right to register and 101 
to vote and may not be charged with a v iolation of any criminal 102 
law of this state related to fraudulently voting or registering 103 
to vote. 104 
 (g)  The commission shall adopt rules to implement this 105 
subsection. 106 
 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 107