Restores voting rights to individuals on probation and parole
HB 617 removes a restriction that previously prevented Missouri residents on probation or parole from voting after a felony or misdemeanor conviction. The bill directly affects individuals under community supervision for these offenses, allowing them to register and vote in state elections while still on probation or parole. It amends Section 561.026 of Missouri law to eliminate the disqualification for "probation or parole" after conviction, though it maintains voting bans for those incarcerated or permanently disqualified for specific offenses. This change applies only to state elections, not federal ones, and does not affect current prison voting restrictions.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2024
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Dec 18, 2024
Last action May 15, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
House Committee Substitute
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to combine three related bills (617, 790, and 847) into a single House Committee Substitute. Eligibility language was updated to use gender-neutral terms ('his or her' instead of 'his'), and the disqualification criteria for voting were streamlined to remove redundant language about misdemeanor disqualifications while maintaining felony restrictions.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from a single bill to include three related bills (HB 617, 790, and 847) as a combined package.
TECHNICAL
Changed gender-specific language from 'his' to 'his or her' in voting eligibility requirements to be inclusive.
ELIGIBILITY
Removed redundant language about misdemeanor disqualifications from the voting eligibility section, consolidating the criteria.
SCOPE
Added House Bill Nos. 790 and 847 to the bill title, indicating these are now being processed together with HB 617.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
15
Key actions
5
Committee
7
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 5 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0
lower
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Apr 23, 2025
Committee
Referred: Rules - Legislative(H)
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 10 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
HCS Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
HCS Voted Do Pass (H)
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Committee
Referred: Corrections and Public Institutions(H)
lower
Dec 18, 2024
Introduced
Prefiled (H)
lower
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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