Criminal Procedure

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details on the financial impact or who will cover previous petitioner costs.

Restoration of Citizenship Rights

This bill changes how people can get their voting rights back in Tennessee by removing some requirements and making certain processes free.

What This Bill Does

• Removes the requirement for a person to provide sworn statements when asking to have voting rights restored.
• Eliminates the need for a certified copy of an order from the court when restoring voting rights.
• Makes it free for people to apply for restoration of their citizenship rights and certificates of employability.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who have lost some of their citizenship rights, such as the right to vote, due to a conviction.
• Courts and election administrators involved in the process of restoring voting rights.

Terms To Know

Certified copy

An official document that is verified by an authority to be true and accurate.

Sworn statement

A written or spoken declaration made under oath, promising it is the truth.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much money will be saved by removing cost requirements.
• It's unclear who will cover the costs that were previously paid by petitioners.

Official Summary Text

Present law generally provides that a person
rendered infamous or deprived of rights of citizenship by the judgment of any state or federal court is eligible to seek restoration of
such
rights by petitioning the circuit court of the county where the petitioner resides or where the conviction for the infamous crime occurred upon
(i
)
r
eceiving a pardon
, (ii) the
discharge from custody by reason of service or expiration of the maximum sentence imposed by the court for the infamous crime
,
or
(iii) b
eing grante
d a certificate of final discharge from supervision by the board of parole or an equivalent discharge by another state, the federal government, or county correction authority.
However, certain convicted persons are never eligible to have the right to vote restored in this state.

PETITION TO RESTORE RIGHT TO VOTE

Present law requires a petition for restoration of rights of citizenship to, among other things and for the purpose of restoring the petitioner's right to vote, i
nclude sworn statements by the petitioner demonstrating that the petitioner is eligible for restoration of the right
to vote. This bill removes such requirement to provide sworn statements.

Present law

requires a
person whose right
to vote
has been restored by order of the court
to
submit a certified copy of the order to the administrator of elections of the county in which the person is eligible to vote.

The administrator of elections
must
verify with the coordinator of elections that the order was issued and, upon receiving the verification,
must
issue the person a voter registration card entitling the person to vote.
This bill removes the requirement that the copy sent to the administrat
or of elections must be a certified copy.

COSTS

Present law

requires a
ll costs
for
a proceeding
to restore rights of citizenship

and for a certificate of employability to
be paid by the petitioner
, unless waived by the court
.
This bill removes this requirement and makes such proceedings free for the petitioner.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 1754
By Lamar

HOUSE BILL 1554
By Hakeem
HB1554
010952
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 40,
Chapter 29, relative to citizenship rights.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-103(f), is amended by deleting
the subsection and substituting instead:
(f) There is no cost to a petitioner for a proceeding under this section.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-103(a)(4), is amended by
deleting the subdivision.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-103(g), is amended by
deleting the language "certified".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 40-29-107(c), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting instead:
(c) There is no cost to a petitioner for an application under this section.
SECTION 5. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.