Tennessee lawmakers have decided to kill a bipartisan bill for the year that would have allowed residents convicted of felonies to apply for voting rights without having to restore their gun rights as well. The bill was proposed by Democratic Rep. Antonio Parkinson and Republican Sen. Paul Bailey but was stalled by a split House committee vote, sending it to a summer study for further consideration next year.
Republicans argued that they preferred to study citizenship rights issues more broadly and propose changes next year, rather than passing the bill as it was. House Majority Leader William Lamberth expressed a belief in redemption for felons but wanted the process to be more straightforward. However, Lamberth has previously stated that the best way to avoid issues with voting rights is to simply not commit a felony in the first place.
The proposal aimed to undo restrictions put in place in July that required people convicted of felonies to have their full citizenship rights restored by a judge before they could apply for voting rights. The bill would have allowed a judge to restore voting rights separately from other rights, such as gun rights.
Since the voting rights policy change in July, only 12 applications have been approved, leading to concerns from voting rights advocates about the process. A lawsuit over Tennessee’s restoration process has been ongoing for years, and there have been calls for a Department of Justice investigation.
Overall, the decision to kill the bill has left many concerned about the lack of opportunity for felons to regain their voting rights and become productive citizens once again.
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