Florida Senate - 2025 SB 848
By Senator Polsky
30-00928-25 2025848__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to restoration of voting rights;
3 amending s. 20.32, F.S.; requiring the Florida
4 Commission on Offender Review to develop and maintain
5 a database containing certain information for a
6 certain purpose; requiring certain governmental
7 entities to provide certain information to the
8 commission monthly; requiring the Department of
9 Management Services, acting through the Florida
10 Digital Service, to provide certain technical
11 assistance to the commission; authorizing the
12 department to adopt rules; requiring the commission to
13 make the database available to the public on an
14 Internet website by a certain date; requiring the
15 commission to update the database monthly and publish
16 certain information on the website; requiring the
17 commission to provide a comprehensive plan to the
18 Governor and Legislature by a certain date; providing
19 requirements for the comprehensive plan; providing
20 that a person who takes certain actions in reasonable
21 reliance on the database has an affirmative right to
22 register and to vote and may not be charged with
23 certain violations of criminal law; requiring the
24 commission to adopt rules; providing an effective
25 date.
26
27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
28
29 Section 1. Subsection (4) is added to section 20.32,
30 Florida Statutes, to read:
31 20.32 Florida Commission on Offender Review.—
32 (4)(a) For the purpose of assisting a person who has been
33 disqualified from voting based on a felony conviction other than
34 murder or a felony sexual offense in determining whether he or
35 she has met the requirements under s. 98.0751 to have his or her
36 voting rights restored pursuant to s. 4, Art. VI of the State
37 Constitution, the Florida Commission on Offender Review shall
38 develop and maintain a database that contains for each such
39 person all of the following information:
40 1. His or her name and any other personal identifying
41 information.
42 2. The remaining length of any term of supervision,
43 including, but not limited to, probation, community control, or
44 parole, ordered by a court as a part of his or her sentence.
45 3. The remaining amount of any restitution owed to a victim
46 as ordered by a court as a part of his or her sentence.
47 4. The remaining amount due of any fines or fees that were
48 initially ordered by a court as a part of his or her sentence or
49 as a condition of any form of supervision, including, but not
50 limited to, probation, community control, or parole.
51 5. The completion status of any other term ordered by a
52 court as a part of his or her sentence.
53 6. Any other information needed to determine whether he or
54 she has met the requirements for restoration of voting rights
55 under s. 98.0751.
56 (b) The Department of State, the Department of Corrections,
57 the clerks of the circuit courts, the county comptrollers, and
58 the Board of Executive Clemency shall provide to the commission
59 monthly any information held by these governmental entities
60 which is required under paragraph (a).
61 (c) The Department of Management Services, acting through
62 the Florida Digital Service, shall provide any technical
63 assistance necessary for the commission to develop and maintain
64 the database. The Department of Management Services may adopt
65 rules to provide such assistance.
66 (d) By July 1, 2028, the commission shall make the database
67 available to the public on an Internet website. The commission
68 shall update the database monthly with the information received
69 from each governmental entity under paragraph (b). The
70 commission shall publish on the website clear instructions that
71 a person who has been disqualified from voting based on a felony
72 conviction other than murder or a felony sexual offense may
73 follow to have his or her voting rights restored and to register
74 to vote.
75 (e) By July 1, 2026, the commission shall provide a
76 comprehensive plan to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
77 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives which includes
78 the following:
79 1. The governmental entities from which and the methods by
80 which the commission shall collect, centralize, analyze, and
81 secure the information required to be included in the database.
82 2. A description of any infrastructure and services,
83 including, but not limited to, software, hardware, and
84 information technology services, which may be necessary to
85 create and maintain the database.
86 3. The anticipated number of additional employees necessary
87 for:
88 a. The commission to develop and maintain the database.
89 b. A governmental entity to provide the information
90 required under paragraph (b).
91 c. The Florida Digital Service to provide the assistance
92 required under paragraph (c).
93 4. The anticipated initial cost to develop the database;
94 the annual cost to maintain the database; and the annual
95 appropriation required to fund the anticipated costs incurred by
96 the commission, each governmental entity, and the Florida
97 Digital Service.
98 5. Any legal authority necessary for the commission to
99 develop and maintain the database.
100 6. Draft legislation to implement the comprehensive plan.
101 (f) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a person who
102 registers to vote or who votes in reasonable reliance on
103 information contained in the database indicating that his or her
104 voting rights have been restored pursuant to s. 4, Art. VI of
105 the State Constitution has an affirmative right to register and
106 to vote and may not be charged with a violation of any criminal
107 law of this state related to fraudulently voting or registering
108 to vote.
109 (g) The commission shall adopt rules to implement this
110 subsection.
111 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.