HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 524        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1456

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Marjorie C. Decker

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act combating misinformation about ex-offender voting rights.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 524        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1456

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1532 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

An Act combating misinformation about ex-offender voting rights.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 51 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 66 the following section:-

Section 67. (a) Any person who is convicted of a felony, as defined in section 1 of chapter 274, in the commonwealth, but is not sentenced to incarceration in a jail or correctional facility, shall be notified in writing by the ruling court, immediately following such conviction and sentencing, of his or her voter eligibility, and shall confirm, in writing, that he or she was so notified.

(b) A probation officer shall immediately notify, in writing, any person that is placed in their care, who was convicted of a felony or incarcerated due to a felony conviction, of said person’s voter eligibility status, shall provide said person with written information on voter eligibility and voter registration, and shall obtain written confirmation from said person that he or she was so notified.

(c) A parole officer shall immediately notify, in writing, any person that is placed in their care, who was incarcerated due to a felony conviction, of said person’s voter eligibility status, shall provide said person with written information on voter eligibility and voter registration, and shall obtain written confirmation from said person that he or she was so notified.

(d) Any person who is incarcerated due to a felony conviction shall, upon release from a jail or correctional facility, be notified, in writing, by said jail or facility of his or her voter eligibility and provided with written voter eligibility and voter registration information, and shall confirm, in writing, that he or she was so notified.

(e) The office of the commissioner of probation shall notify, in writing, any person that was convicted of a felony by a court of the commonwealth within the period of 10 years prior to the effective date of this section, who is not currently incarcerated, of their voter eligibility, shall provide said person with written voter eligibility and voter registration information and shall obtain written confirmation from said person that he or she was so notified.