New Bill Would Allow Judges To Restore Felons’ Civil Rights
December 6th, 2017 by Jake Stofan
Florida Lawmakers filed new legislation this morning to combat a backlog of felons looking to have their rights restored after paying their dues to society.
Currently, felons have to be approved by the state Clemency Board to have their right to vote and own a gun restored. More than 20,000 people are on the waiting list, some have been on it for ten years or more. The new bill would allow judges to restore the rights of convicted felons, opening up a new avenue for those looking to fully rejoin society.
“And it also requires participation by the individual. The bill requires that the State Attorney in the locale be notified so the state would have the opportunity to be heard an object or to agree with that person getting their rights restored an ultimately allows a judge to do what they do best which is judge and make a determination as to whether or not that person should have their full set of rights restored,” said House Sponsor, Representative Cord Byrd.
Felons would be eligible to have a judge hear their case once a year under the proposed law.
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