House Bill 1025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida House of Representatives - 1999 HB 1025
By Representatives Rojas and Barreiro
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to voter registration; amending
3 s. 97.052, F.S.; eliminating information and
4 notice requirements relating to homestead
5 exemption from the uniform statewide voter
6 registration application; repealing s.
7 98.015(11), F.S.; eliminating the requirement
8 that a supervisor of elections must forward to
9 the property appraiser the names and homestead
10 addresses of persons registering to vote at an
11 address other than that at which they claim a
12 homestead exemption; amending s. 196.141, F.S.;
13 eliminating the requirement that the property
14 appraiser examine such forwarded information to
15 determine whether to initiate procedures to
16 terminate a person's homestead exemption and
17 assess back taxes; providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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21 Section 1. Subsections (2) and (3) of section 97.052,
22 Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, as amended by chapter
23 98-129, Laws of Florida, are amended to read:
24 97.052 Uniform statewide voter registration
25 application.--
26 (2) The uniform statewide voter registration
27 application must be designed to elicit the following
28 information from the applicant:
29 (a) Full name.
30 (b) Date of birth.
31 (c) Address of legal residence.
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1 (d) Mailing address, if different.
2 (e) County of legal residence.
3 (f) Address of property for which the applicant has
4 been granted a homestead exemption, if any.
5 (f)(g) Race or ethnicity that best describes the
6 applicant:
7 1. American Indian or Alaskan Native.
8 2. Asian or Pacific Islander.
9 3. Black, not Hispanic.
10 4. White, not Hispanic.
11 5. Hispanic.
12 (g)(h) Sex.
13 (h)(i) Party affiliation.
14 (i)(j) Whether the applicant needs assistance in
15 voting.
16 (j)(k) Name and address where last registered.
17 (k)(l) Last four digits of the applicant's social
18 security number.
19 (l)(m) Florida driver's license number or the
20 identification number from a Florida identification card
21 issued under s. 322.051.
22 (m)(n) Telephone number (optional).
23 (n)(o) Signature of applicant under penalty for false
24 swearing pursuant to s. 104.011, by which the person
25 subscribes to the oath required by s. 3, Art. VI of the State
26 Constitution and s. 97.051, and swears or affirms that the
27 information contained in the registration application is true.
28 (o)(p) Whether the application is being used for
29 initial registration, to update a voter registration record,
30 or to request a replacement registration identification card.
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1 (p)(q) Whether the applicant is a citizen of the
2 United States.
3 (q)(r) That the applicant has not been convicted of a
4 felony or, if convicted, has had his or her civil rights
5 restored.
6 (r)(s) That the applicant has not been adjudicated
7 mentally incapacitated with respect to voting or, if so
8 adjudicated, has had his or her right to vote restored.
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10 The registration form must be in plain language and designed
11 so that convicted felons whose civil rights have been restored
12 and persons who have been adjudicated mentally incapacitated
13 and have had their voting rights restored are not required to
14 reveal their prior conviction or adjudication.
15 (3) The uniform statewide voter registration
16 application must also contain:
17 (a) The oath required by s. 3, Art. VI of the State
18 Constitution and s. 97.051.
19 (b) A statement specifying each eligibility
20 requirement under s. 97.041.
21 (c) The penalties provided in s. 104.011 for false
22 swearing in connection with voter registration.
23 (d) A statement that, if an applicant declines to
24 register to vote, the fact that the applicant has declined to
25 register will remain confidential and may be used only for
26 voter registration purposes.
27 (e) A statement that informs the applicant who chooses
28 to register to vote or update a voter registration record that
29 the office at which the applicant submits a voter registration
30 application or updates a voter registration record will remain
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Florida House of Representatives - 1999 HB 1025
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1 confidential and may be used only for voter registration
2 purposes.
3 (f) A statement that informs the applicant that any
4 person who has been granted a homestead exemption in this
5 state, and who registers to vote in any precinct other than
6 the one in which the property for which the homestead
7 exemption has been granted, shall have that information
8 forwarded to the property appraiser where such property is
9 located, which may result in the person's homestead exemption
10 being terminated and the person being subject to assessment of
11 back taxes under s. 193.092, unless the homestead granted the
12 exemption is being maintained as the permanent residence of a
13 legal or natural dependent of the owner and the owner resides
14 elsewhere.
15 Section 2. Subsection (11) of section 98.015, Florida
16 Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is repealed:
17 98.015 Supervisor of elections; election, tenure of
18 office, compensation, custody of books, office hours,
19 successor, seal; appointment of deputy supervisors; duties.--
20 (11) Each supervisor of elections shall forward to the
21 property appraiser for the county in which the homestead is
22 claimed the name of the person and the address of the
23 homestead of each person who registers to vote at an address
24 other than that at which the person claims a homestead
25 exemption, as disclosed on the uniform statewide voter
26 registration application pursuant to s. 97.052.
27 Section 3. Section 196.141, Florida Statutes, 1998
28 Supplement, is amended to read:
29 196.141 Homestead exemptions; duty of property
30 appraiser.--
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Florida House of Representatives - 1999 HB 1025
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1 (1) The property appraiser shall examine each claim
2 for exemption filed with or referred to him or her and shall
3 allow the same, if found to be in accordance with law, by
4 marking the same approved and by making the proper deductions
5 on the tax books.
6 (2) The property appraiser shall examine each
7 referral, of a person registering to vote at an address
8 different from the one where the person has filed for a
9 homestead exemption, which has been provided by a supervisor
10 of elections pursuant to s. 98.015. The property appraiser
11 shall initiate procedures to terminate a person's homestead
12 exemption and assess back taxes, if appropriate, if the person
13 claiming such exemption is not entitled to the exemption under
14 law.
15 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.
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18 HOUSE SUMMARY
19
Revises the uniform statewide voter registration
20 application to eliminate both the solicitation of
information relating to address of property granted a
21 homestead exemption, if any, and the notice to the
applicant relating to the consequences of registering to
22 vote in a precinct other than that in which the homestead
property that has been granted such exemption is located.
23 Eliminates the requirement that a supervisor of elections
must forward to the property appraiser the names and
24 homestead addresses of persons registering to vote at an
address other than that at which they claim a homestead
25 exemption and the corresponding requirement that the
property appraiser examine such forwarded information to
26 determine whether to initiate procedures to terminate a
person's homestead exemption and assess back taxes.
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