Bill Text: NY S00960 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to voting and registration for voting by convicted felons; provides such convicted felons may vote if such person's maximum sentence of imprisonment has expired, or such person is serving a term of parole, presumptive release, conditional release or post-release supervision.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - REFERRED TO ELECTIONS [S00960 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S00960-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 960 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 5, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, MONTGOMERY, PARKER, PERKINS, RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections AN ACT to amend the election law and the correction law, in relation to voting by convicted felons The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 5-106 of the election law, as 2 amended by chapter 373 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 2. No person who has been convicted of a felony and sentenced to a 5 period of imprisonment for such felony pursuant to the laws of this 6 state, shall have the right to register for or vote at any election 7 unless he [shall have been pardoned or restored to the rights of citi-8zenship by the governor, or his maximum sentence of imprisonment has9expired, or he has been discharged from parole. The governor, however,10may attach as a condition to any such pardon a provision that any such11person shall not have the right of suffrage until it shall have been12separately restored to him] or she has been released from incarceration 13 for such felony or released from serving a time assessment pursuant to 14 subparagraph (x) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of section two 15 hundred fifty-nine-i of the executive law. 16 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 5-106 of the election law is amended to 17 read as follows: 18 3. No person who has been convicted in a federal court, of a felony, 19 or a crime or offense which would constitute a felony under the laws of 20 this state, and sentenced to a period of imprisonment for such felony, 21 shall have the right to register for or vote at any election unless he 22 [shall have been pardoned or restored to the rights of citizenship by23the president of the United States, or his maximum sentence of imprison-24ment has expired, or he has been discharged from parole] or she has been EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00170-01-7S. 960 2 1 released from incarceration for such felony or released from serving a 2 time assessment pursuant to a violation of parole supervision under 3 federal jurisdiction. 4 § 3. Subdivision 4 of section 5-106 of the election law is amended to 5 read as follows: 6 4. No person who has been convicted in another state for a crime or 7 offense which would constitute a felony under the laws of this state and 8 sentenced to a period of imprisonment for such felony, shall have the 9 right to register for or vote at any election in this state unless he 10 shall have been pardoned or restored to the rights of citizenship by the 11 governor or other appropriate authority of such other state, or his 12 maximum sentence has expired, or he [has been discharged from parole] or 13 she has been released from incarceration for such felony or released 14 from serving a time assessment for a violation of parole supervision 15 under the jurisdiction of courts, paroling authorities, corrections or 16 other criminal justice agencies. 17 § 4. Section 75 of the correction law, as amended by section 18 of 18 subpart A of part C of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to 19 read as follows: 20 § 75. Notice of voting rights. Upon the [discharge] release from a 21 correctional facility of any person [whose maximum sentence of imprison-22ment has expired or upon a person's discharge from community super-23vision,] the department shall notify such person of his or her right to 24 vote and provide such person with a form of application for voter regis- 25 tration together with written information distributed by the board of 26 elections on the importance and the mechanics of voting. 27 § 5. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 510 to read 28 as follows: 29 § 510. Voting upon release. Upon the release from a local correctional 30 facility of any person convicted of a felony the chief administrative 31 officer shall notify such person of his or her right to vote and provide 32 such person with a form of application for voter registration together 33 with written information distributed by the board of elections on the 34 importance and the mechanics of voting. 35 § 6. The department of corrections and community supervision shall 36 notify each person serving a period of community supervision on the 37 effective date of this act of his or her right to vote and provide such 38 person with a form of application for voter registration together with 39 written information distributed by the board of elections on the impor- 40 tance and the mechanics of voting. 41 § 7. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that 42 sections four, five, and six of this act shall take effect on the one 43 hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
