[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4479 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4479

  To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit States from 
 denying certain veterans who have been convicted of a felony and who 
 have completed their sentence the opportunity to register to vote or 
                                 vote.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 2, 2004

 Ms. Carson of Indiana (for herself, Mr. Clay, Ms. Lee, Mr. Owens, Mr. 
Thompson of Mississippi, and Ms. Watson) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 
    addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit States from 
 denying certain veterans who have been convicted of a felony and who 
 have completed their sentence the opportunity to register to vote or 
                                 vote.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PROHIBITING STATES FROM DENYING VOTER REGISTRATION OR VOTING 
              BY CERTAIN VETERANS CONVICTED OF FELONIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 303(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 
2002 (42 U.S.C. 15483(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph:
            ``(6) Prohibiting states from denying registration or 
        voting by certain veterans convicted of felonies.--
                    ``(A) In general.--No State may prohibit any 
                individual who is a veteran from registering to vote 
                for any election for public office, or from voting in 
                any election for public office, on the grounds that the 
                individual has been convicted of a felony if (at the 
                time the individual seeks to register to vote or vote) 
                the individual is no longer in the custody of, or 
                subject to supervision by, the State or the Federal 
                government as a result of the individual's conviction.
                    ``(B) Veteran defined.--For purposes of this 
                paragraph, the term `veteran' means a person who served 
                in the active military, naval, or air service and who 
                was discharged or released therefrom under conditions 
                other than dishonorable (as described in section 101(2) 
                of title 38, United States Code).''.
    (b) Mandatory Application of 2004 Effective Date.--Section 
303(d)(1)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 15483(d)(1)(B)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following sentence: ``The previous sentence shall 
not apply with respect to the requirements of subsection (a)(6).''.
                                 <all>