Senator Jamilah Nasheed Pre-Files Legislation to Restore Voting Rights for Thousands of Missouri Citizens
JEFFERSON CITY —State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, has pre-filed Senate Bill 542, the Missouri Restoration of Voting Rights Act. This legislation would restore voting rights to former felons, except those with voting-related felonies, after they are released from incarceration.
“Across Missouri, thousands of reformed offenders have paid their debt to society, and now it’s time to treat them like the citizens they rightfully are,” said Sen. Nasheed. “These men and women are working, they’re paying their taxes, and yet, they are denied a voice at the ballot box for something they did years ago. It’s unjust, and it’s time to restore their constitutional right to vote.”
Senator Nasheed also pre-filed additional pieces of criminal justice reform legislation for the upcoming 2020 legislative session, including Senate Joint Resolution 35, a proposed amendment to Missouri’s Constitution regarding the census. If approved by Missouri voters, SJR 35 would require offenders within the Missouri Department of Corrections to be recorded for the purpose of the census as residents at their last known address prior to incarceration. Currently, an offender’s residence is recorded during the census as the address of the correctional facility in which they are incarcerated.
Senator Nasheed also filed Senate Bill 541, a proposed change to Missouri Supreme Court rules allowing a prosecuting attorney to file a motion for a new trial at any time during a criminal trial.
The 2020 legislative session will begin at noon on Jan. 8, 2020. For more information on Sen. Nasheed, visit her official Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/nasheed.
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