Committee advances bill requiring voting-rights notice on sentencing score sheets

Senate Bill 748, presented by Senator LaVon Bracy Davis, would require criminal-sentencing score sheets to include constitutional language explaining when a person loses the right to vote and what must be completed to have voting rights restored. The sponsor said the bill does not change eligibility standards or Amendment 4 but ensures the defendant receives a copy of the score sheet before sentencing.

Bracy Davis said the measure closes a ‘‘simple but important gap’’ in the sentencing process, helping defendants understand the voting consequences of convictions and avoid unintentional violations. Supporters including rights-restoration advocates and Disability Rights Florida waived in support.

During debate Vice Chair Smith called SB 748 ‘‘exactly the direction we should be heading in’’ and Senator Pizzo suggested the score sheet could be expanded as a one-stop record of priors and related information. The committee voted to report the bill favorably.