SF0009

Bill Summary - 25LSO-0124 Bill No.: SF0009 Effective: Immediately LSO No.: 25LSO-0124 Enrolled Act No.: SEA No. 0052 Chapter No.: 100 Prime Sponsor: Joint Judiciary Interim Committee Catch Title: Restoration of rights amendments. Has Report: No Subject: Amending and specifying requirements for the restoration of civil rights after a felony conviction. Summary/Major Elements: Current law provides a process by which a person convicted of a felony may seek and receive the restoration of civil rights. A person may apply to the Governor for the restoration of rights, or a person may seek a certificate for the restoration of rights from the Department of Corrections. A certificate of restoration of rights may be limited to voting rights or, if the person has completed the sentence at least five years earlier, the person may receive a certificate restoring all rights, including the right to possess a firearm. This act amends the options available for the restoration of rights. A person seeking restoration of rights from the Governor may do so only if the person's conviction is a felony under the laws of Wyoming or another state. For the purposes of restoring the right to possess firearms, a person may seek the restoration of those rights only if the person was convicted of a felony under Wyoming law. A person convicted of a felony under federal law or the laws of another state can no longer seek the restoration of firearm rights in Wyoming. A person may seek the restoration of voting rights from the Department of Corrections if the person was convicted of a nonviolent felony under Wyoming law or the laws of another state. The act clarifies that a person may have the person's voting rights restored if the person was convicted before age eighteen (18) but would have otherwise been eligible to vote upon turning eighteen (18). The act requires notification of restorations to the Division of Criminal Investigation. The act specifies that, if a person is convicted of a new felony under Wyoming law, federal law, or the laws of another state, the restoration of rights previously granted is automatically void, and any rights that were restored previously are no longer deemed restored. The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.