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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4459 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4459

 To secure the Federal voting rights of persons who have been released 
                          from incarceration.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2014

 Mr. Conyers (for himself, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cohen, 
 Mr. Grayson, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Honda, Ms. Jackson Lee, 
   Mr. Jeffries, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Moore, Mr. 
Moran, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mr. Richmond, Ms. Schakowsky, 
 and Mr. Serrano) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To secure the Federal voting rights of persons who have been released 
                          from incarceration.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Democracy Restoration Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The right to vote is the most basic constitutive act of 
        citizenship. Regaining the right to vote reintegrates 
        individuals with criminal convictions into free society, 
        helping to enhance public safety.
            (2) Article I, section 4 of the Constitution grants 
        Congress ultimate supervisory power over Federal elections, an 
        authority which has repeatedly been upheld by the United States 
        Supreme Court.
            (3) Basic constitutional principles of fairness and equal 
        protection require an equal opportunity for citizens of the 
        United States to vote in Federal elections. The right to vote 
        may not be abridged or denied by the United States or by any 
        State on account of race, color, gender or previous condition 
        of servitude. The 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th 
        Amendments to the Constitution empower Congress to enact 
        measures to protect the right to vote in Federal elections. The 
        8th Amendment to the Constitution provides for no excessive 
        bail to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and 
        unusual punishments inflicted.
            (4) There are 3 areas in which discrepancies in State laws 
        regarding criminal convictions lead to unfairness:
                    (A) The lack of a uniform standard for voting in 
                Federal elections leads to an unfair disparity and 
                unequal participation in Federal elections based solely 
                on where a person lives.
                    (B) Laws governing the restoration of voting rights 
                after a criminal conviction vary throughout the country 
                and persons in some States can easily regain their 
                voting rights while in other States persons effectively 
                lose their right to vote permanently.
                    (C) State disenfranchisement laws 
                disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities.
            (5) Two States do not disenfranchise individuals with 
        criminal convictions at all (Maine and Vermont), but 48 States 
        and the District of Columbia have laws that deny convicted 
        individuals the right to vote while they are in prison.
            (6) In some States disenfranchisement results from varying 
        State laws that restrict voting while individuals are under the 
        supervision of the criminal justice system or after they have 
        completed a criminal sentence. In 35 States, convicted 
        individuals may not vote while they are on parole and 31 of 
        those States disenfranchise individuals on felony probation as 
        well. In 11 States, a conviction can result in lifetime 
        disenfranchisement.
            (7) Several States deny the right to vote to individuals 
        convicted of certain misdemeanors.
            (8) An estimated 5,850,000 citizens of the United States, 
        or about 1 in 40 adults in the United States, currently cannot 
        vote as a result of a felony conviction. Of the estimated 
        5,850,000 citizens barred from voting, only 25 percent are in 
        prison. By contrast, 75 percent of the disenfranchised reside 
        in their communities while on probation or parole or after 
        having completed their sentences. Approximately 2,600,000 
        citizens who have completed their sentences remain 
        disenfranchised due to restrictive state laws. In 6 States 
        (Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and 
        Virginia) more than 7 percent of the total population is 
        disenfranchised.
            (9) In those States that disenfranchise individuals who 
        have completed their sentence, the right to vote can be 
        regained in theory, but in practice this possibility is often 
        granted in a non-uniform and potentially discriminatory manner. 
        Disenfranchised individuals must either obtain a pardon or an 
        order from the Governor or an action by the parole or pardon 
        board, depending on the offense and State. Individuals 
        convicted of a Federal offense often have additional barriers 
        to regaining voting rights.
            (10) State disenfranchisement laws disproportionately 
        impact racial and ethnic minorities. Approximately 8 percent of 
        the African-American population, or more than 2,000,000 
        African-Americans, are disenfranchised. Given current rates of 
        incarceration, approximately 1 in 3 of the next generation of 
        African-American men will be disenfranchised at some point 
        during their lifetimes. Currently, 1 of every 13 African-
        Americans are rendered unable to vote because of felony 
        disenfranchisement, a rate 4 times greater than non African-
        Americans (7.7 percent of African-Americans versus 1.8 percent 
        of non African-Americans). In 3 States (Florida, 23 percent; 
        Kentucky, 22 percent; and Virginia, 20 percent) more than 1 in 
        5 African-Americans are unable to vote because of prior 
        convictions.
            (11) Latino citizens are disproportionately disenfranchised 
        based upon their disproportionate representation in the 
        criminal justice system. If current incarceration trends hold, 
        17 percent of Latino men will be incarcerated during their 
        lifetimes, in contrast to less than 6 percent of non-Latino 
        White men. When analyzing the data across 10 States, Latinos 
        generally have disproportionately higher rates of 
        disenfranchisement compared to their presence in the voting age 
        population. In 6 out of 10 States studied in 2003, Latinos 
        constitute more than 10 percent of the total number of persons 
        disenfranchised by State felony laws. In 4 States (California, 
        37 percent; New York, 34 percent; Texas, 30 percent; and 
        Arizona, 27 percent) Latinos were disenfranchised by a rate of 
        more than 25 percent.
            (12) Disenfranchising citizens who have been convicted of a 
        criminal offense and who are living and working in the 
        community serves no compelling State interest and hinders their 
        rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
            (13) State disenfranchisement laws can suppress electoral 
        participation among eligible voters by discouraging voting 
        among family and community members of disenfranchised persons. 
        Future electoral participation by the children of 
        disenfranchised parents may be impacted as well.
            (14) The United States is the only Western democracy that 
        permits the permanent denial of voting rights for individuals 
        with felony convictions.

SEC. 3. RIGHTS OF CITIZENS.

    (a) Protection of Rights To Vote.--The right of an individual who 
is a citizen of the United States to vote in any election for Federal 
office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been 
convicted of a criminal offense unless such individual is serving a 
felony sentence in a correctional institution or facility at the time 
of the election.
    (b) Conditioning Use of Federal Prison Funds on Notification of 
Rights.--
            (1) In general.--No State, unit of local government, or 
        other person may receive or use, to construct or otherwise 
        improve a prison, jail, or other place of incarceration, any 
        Federal grant amounts unless that person has in effect a 
        program under which each individual incarcerated in that 
        person's jurisdiction who is a citizen of the United States is 
        notified, upon release from such incarceration, of that 
        individual's rights under this section.
            (2) Effective date.--Paragraph (1) shall apply with respect 
        to fiscal year 2015 and each succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) Attorney General.--The Attorney General may, in a civil action, 
obtain such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to remedy 
a violation of this Act.
    (b) Private Right of Action.--
            (1) In general.--A person who is aggrieved by a violation 
        of this Act may provide written notice of the violation to the 
        chief election official of the State involved.
            (2) Relief.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), if the 
        violation is not corrected within 90 days after receipt of a 
        notice under paragraph (1), or within 20 days after receipt of 
        the notice if the violation occurred within 120 days before the 
        date of an election for Federal office, the aggrieved person 
        may, in a civil action, obtain declaratory or injunctive relief 
        with respect to the violation.
            (3) Exception.--If the violation occurred within 30 days 
        before the date of an election for Federal office, the 
        aggrieved person need not provide notice to the chief election 
        official of the State under paragraph (1) before bringing a 
        civil action to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief with 
        respect to the violation.

SEC. 5. NOTIFICATION OF RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS.

    (a) State Notification.--
            (1) Notification.--On the date determined under paragraph 
        (2), each State shall notify in writing any individual who has 
        been convicted of a criminal offense under the law of that 
        State that such individual has the right to vote in an election 
        for Federal office pursuant to this Act and may register to 
        vote in any such election.
            (2) Date of notification.--
                    (A) Felony conviction.--In the case of such an 
                individual who has been convicted of a felony, the 
                notification required under paragraph (1) shall be 
                given on the date on which the individual--
                            (i) is sentenced to serve only a term of 
                        probation; or
                            (ii) is released from the custody of that 
                        State (other than to the custody of another 
                        State or the Federal Government to serve a term 
                        of imprisonment for a felony conviction).
                    (B) Misdemeanor conviction.--In the case of such an 
                individual who has been convicted of a misdemeanor, the 
                notification required under paragraph (1) shall be 
                given on the date on which such individual is sentenced 
                by a State court.
    (b) Federal Notification.--
            (1) Notification.--On the date determined under paragraph 
        (2), the applicable official shall notify in writing any 
        individual who has been convicted of a criminal offense under 
        Federal law that such individual has the right to vote in an 
        election for Federal office pursuant to this Act and may 
        register to vote in any such election.
            (2) Date of notification.--
                    (A) Felony conviction.--In the case of an 
                individual who is convicted of a felony, the 
                notification required under paragraph (1) shall be 
                given--
                            (i) in the case of an individual who is 
                        sentenced to serve only a term of probation by 
                        the Federal court, on the date on which the 
                        individual is sentenced; or
                            (ii) in the case of any other such 
                        individual, at any time during the 6-month 
                        period which ends on the date on which the 
                        individual is released from the custody of the 
                        Bureau of Prisons (unless the individual is 
                        released to the custody of a State to serve a 
                        term of imprisonment for a felony conviction).
                    (B) Misdemeanor conviction.--In the case of an 
                individual who has been convicted of a misdemeanor 
                under Federal law, the notification required under 
                paragraph (1) shall be given on the date on which such 
                individual is sentenced by the Federal court.
            (3) Applicable official.--For purposes of this subsection, 
        the ``applicable official'' is, with respect to an individual 
        who has been convicted of a criminal offense under Federal 
        law--
                    (A) in the case of an individual who has been 
                convicted of a misdemeanor, the Director of the Bureau 
                of Prisons;
                    (B) in the case of an individual who has been 
                convicted of a felony but sentenced to serve only a 
                term of probation, the head of the office responsible 
                for probation and pretrial services with respect to the 
                Federal court involved; or
                    (C) in the case of any other individual who has 
                been convicted of a felony, the Director of the Bureau 
                of Prisons.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Correctional institution or facility.--The term 
        ``correctional institution or facility'' means any prison, 
        penitentiary, jail, or other institution or facility for the 
        confinement of individuals convicted of criminal offenses, 
        whether publicly or privately operated, except that such term 
        does not include any residential community treatment center (or 
        similar public or private facility).
            (2) Election.--The term ``election'' means--
                    (A) a general, special, primary, or runoff 
                election;
                    (B) a convention or caucus of a political party 
                held to nominate a candidate;
                    (C) a primary election held for the selection of 
                delegates to a national nominating convention of a 
                political party; or
                    (D) a primary election held for the expression of a 
                preference for the nomination of persons for election 
                to the office of President.
            (3) Federal office.--The term ``Federal office'' means the 
        office of President or Vice President, or of Senator or 
        Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the 
        Congress.
            (4) Probation.--The term ``probation'' means probation, 
        imposed by a Federal, State, or local court, with or without a 
        condition on the individual involved concerning--
                    (A) the individual's freedom of movement;
                    (B) the payment of damages by the individual;
                    (C) periodic reporting by the individual to an 
                officer of the court; or
                    (D) supervision of the individual by an officer of 
                the court.

SEC. 7. RELATION TO OTHER LAWS.

    (a) State Laws Relating to Voting Rights.--Nothing in this Act 
shall be construed to prohibit any State from enacting any State law 
which affords the right to vote in any election for Federal office on 
terms less restrictive than those established by this Act.
    (b) Certain Federal Acts.--The rights and remedies established by 
this Act are in addition to all other rights and remedies provided by 
law, and neither rights and remedies established by this Act shall 
supersede, restrict, or limit the application of the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 et seq.) or the National Voter Registration Act 
of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973-gg et seq.).

SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall apply with respect to elections for Federal office 
held after the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>
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