SESSION WATCH
Died SENATE · SESSION 2026

No. CS/SB 132

Restoration of Voting Rights
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SPONSOR
Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Polsky
FILED BY
Tina Scott Polsky — District 30, Democrat [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
7/1/2026
DIED IN
Fiscal Policy

Filed under Elections.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Restoration of Voting Rights; Requiring the Florida Commission on Offender Review to develop and maintain a database containing certain information for a certain purpose; requiring the Department of Management Services, acting through the Florida Digital Service, to provide certain technical assistance to the commission; providing that a person who takes certain actions in reasonable reliance on the database has an affirmative right to register and to vote and may not be charged with certain violations of criminal law, etc.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Creates a rights-restoration database and shields good-faith users from charges.

The Florida Commission on Offender Review must build a database tracking, for each person barred from voting by an eligible felony conviction, their remaining probation time, restitution, fines, and fees, everything needed to check restoration eligibility.

State agencies, courts, and county comptrollers must feed the commission this information every month. By July 2029, funding permitting, the commission must publish the database online and post plain instructions for restoring rights and registering to vote.

Anyone who registers or votes because the database indicated their rights were restored gets a legal shield: they cannot be charged with fraudulent voting or registration for that reliance, even if the underlying record turns out to be wrong.

By July 2027, the commission must send the Governor, the Senate President, and the House Speaker a full plan covering data sources, technology needs, staffing, and cost estimates, plus draft legislation, before the public database can actually go live.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 New rights-restoration database tracks eligibility details majors. 20.32

AIThe Florida Commission on Offender Review must build and maintain a database, for each person disqualified from voting by an eligible felony conviction, recording their remaining supervision term, restitution, fines and fees, and anything else needed to determine restoration eligibility.

“shall develop and maintain a database that contains for each such person all of the following information” bill text, line 37 →
§ 2 Database must go public by mid-2029 majors. 20.32

AISubject to the legislature funding it, the commission must put the database on a public website by July 1, 2029, updating it monthly and posting clear instructions for restoring voting rights and registering.

“the commission shall make the database available to the public on an Internet website” bill text, line 67 →
§ 3 Good-faith reliance on the database blocks fraud charges majors. 20.32

AIAnyone who registers or votes because the database showed their rights restored gets an affirmative right to do so, and cannot be charged with a criminal violation for fraudulently voting or registering based on that reliance.

“has an affirmative right to register and to vote and may not be charged with a violation of any criminal law” bill text, line 22 →
§ 4 Implementation plan due to state leaders by mid-2027 majors. 20.32

AIBefore the database can be built out, the commission must deliver a comprehensive plan covering data sources, technology and staffing needs, cost estimates, and draft legislation, to the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker by July 1, 2027.

“the commission shall provide a comprehensive plan to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives” bill text, line 75 →
§ 5 Agencies must feed the database every month moderates. 20.32

AIThe Department of State, Department of Corrections, circuit court clerks, county comptrollers, and Board of Executive Clemency must each send the commission, every month, whatever information they hold that the database needs.

“shall provide to the commission monthly any information held by these governmental entities” bill text, line 58 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in Fiscal Policy
2/10/2026
CS by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice read 1st time
2/6/2026
Now in Fiscal Policy
2/6/2026
Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
2/4/2026
CS by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; YEAS 8 NAYS 0
1/30/2026
On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Criminal and...
1/27/2026
Now in Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
1/26/2026
Favorable by Criminal Justice; YEAS 7 NAYS 0
1/21/2026
On Committee agenda-- Criminal Justice, 01/26/26, 3:30 pm, 37...
1/13/2026
Introduced
10/21/2025
Referred to Criminal Justice; Appropriations Committee on Criminal...
10/8/2025
Filed
6 EARLIER →
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 20.32
+684 / −0
STAFF ANALYSES