Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1456 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 524 FILED ON: 1/13/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1456
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Marjorie C. Decker
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act combating misinformation about ex-offender voting rights.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marjorie C. Decker25th Middlesex1/11/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/20/2023 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 524 FILED ON: 1/13/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1456
18	18	By Representative Decker of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1456) of
19	19	Marjorie C. Decker and Lindsay N. Sabadosa relative to the notification of voter eligibility status
20	20	of ex-offenders. The Judiciary.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE HOUSE, NO. 1532 OF 2021-2022.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
26	26	(2023-2024)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act combating misinformation about ex-offender voting rights.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 Chapter 51 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby
32	32	2amended by inserting after section 66 the following section:-
33	33	3 Section 67. (a) Any person who is convicted of a felony, as defined in section 1 of
34	34	4chapter 274, in the commonwealth, but is not sentenced to incarceration in a jail or correctional
35	35	5facility, shall be notified in writing by the ruling court, immediately following such conviction
36	36	6and sentencing, of his or her voter eligibility, and shall confirm, in writing, that he or she was so
37	37	7notified.
38	38	8 (b) A probation officer shall immediately notify, in writing, any person that is placed in
39	39	9their care, who was convicted of a felony or incarcerated due to a felony conviction, of said 2 of 2
40	40	10person’s voter eligibility status, shall provide said person with written information on voter
41	41	11eligibility and voter registration, and shall obtain written confirmation from said person that he
42	42	12or she was so notified.
43	43	13 (c) A parole officer shall immediately notify, in writing, any person that is placed in their
44	44	14care, who was incarcerated due to a felony conviction, of said person’s voter eligibility status,
45	45	15shall provide said person with written information on voter eligibility and voter registration, and
46	46	16shall obtain written confirmation from said person that he or she was so notified.
47	47	17 (d) Any person who is incarcerated due to a felony conviction shall, upon release from a
48	48	18jail or correctional facility, be notified, in writing, by said jail or facility of his or her voter
49	49	19eligibility and provided with written voter eligibility and voter registration information, and shall
50	50	20confirm, in writing, that he or she was so notified.
51	51	21 (e) The office of the commissioner of probation shall notify, in writing, any person that
52	52	22was convicted of a felony by a court of the commonwealth within the period of 10 years prior to
53	53	23the effective date of this section, who is not currently incarcerated, of their voter eligibility, shall
54	54	24provide said person with written voter eligibility and voter registration information and shall
55	55	25obtain written confirmation from said person that he or she was so notified.