SF0009

Amends Wyoming criminal procedure law to clarify eligibility requirements, judicial review procedures, and notification requirements for restoration of rights certificates, and expands the definition of violent felony.

• Allows the governor to issue certificates restoring rights lost by felony conviction, subject to new eligibility limitations in subsections (h) and (j). (W.S. 7-13-105(a), Sec. 1)
• Requires the Department of Corrections to automatically issue certificates of restoration of voting rights to persons convicted of nonviolent felonies who have completed their sentence, including probation or parole. (W.S. 7-13-105(b), Sec. 1)
• Makes the Department of Corrections' determination of ineligibility for restoration of voting rights subject to judicial review as a final agency action. (W.S. 7-13-105(d), Sec. 1)
• Expands the definition of violent felony to include offenses committed in another jurisdiction that would constitute a violent felony under Wyoming law. (W.S. 7-13-105(e)(ii), W.S. 6-1-104(a)(xii), Sec. 1)
• Establishes that all other rights (beyond voting) are restored five years after completion of sentence for persons not convicted of other felonies, with a requirement to note restoration on a certificate. (W.S. 7-13-105(f), Sec. 1)
• Provides that a new felony conviction automatically voids any previously issued restoration of rights certificate and restores the disability. (W.S. 7-13-105(h), Sec. 1)
• Requires the Department of Corrections to notify the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Secretary of State, and the Division of Criminal Investigation when restoration of rights certificates are issued. (W.S. 7-13-105(g), Sec. 1)
• Limits eligibility for restoration of rights under subsection (a) to persons convicted of felonies under Wyoming law, and limits eligibility under subsections (b), (c), and (f) to those convicted of nonviolent felonies under Wyoming law. (W.S. 7-13-105(j), Sec. 1)
• Updates the Department of Corrections' statutory duties to reflect that it shall issue certificates of restoration of voting rights pursuant to the amended subsections.