HR 1459 114th Congress House Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Civil actions and liability Correctional facilities and imprisonment Criminal procedure and sentencing Law enforcement administration and funding Voting rights

Democracy Restoration Act of 2015

Introduced: March 19, 2015 See on congress.gov

Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Apr 21, 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Mar 19, 2015

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Mar 19, 2015

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E367)

Mar 19, 2015

Introduced in House

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Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Democracy Restoration Act of 2015

Declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution or facility. Provides for enforcement of, and remedies for violations of, this Act.

Prohibits this Act from being construed to prohibit a state from enacting any state law that affords the right to vote in any election for federal office on terms less restrictive than those terms established by this Act. Declares that the rights and remedies established by this Act shall be in addition to all other rights and remedies provided by law and shall not supersede, restrict, or limit the application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.

Sets forth requirements for state and federal notification of individuals of the restoration of their voting rights.

Prohibits any state, local government, or other person from receiving or using any federal funds to construct or improve a place of incarceration unless that person has in effect a program to notify each U.S. citizen incarcerated in that person's jurisdiction, upon release from such incarceration, of that individual's rights under this Act.

What's happening now April 21, 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Related & companion bills 4

Bill text 1 version

Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

Committees of jurisdiction 2

Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee
House of Representatives · subcommittee of Judiciary Committee
Judiciary Committee
House of Representatives

Cosponsors 28

Boyle, Brendan F.

Pennsylvania · Dec 7, 2016

Scott, Robert C. "Bobby"

Virginia · Nov 14, 2016

Duckworth, Tammy

Illinois · Sep 8, 2016

Foster, Bill

Illinois · Jul 12, 2016

Huffman, Jared

California · Jul 12, 2016

Norton, Eleanor Holmes

District of Columbia · Jul 12, 2016

Quigley, Mike

Illinois · Jul 12, 2016

Takano, Mark

California · Jul 12, 2016

Carson, André

Indiana · Jul 7, 2016

Lieu, Ted

California · Apr 21, 2016

DeSaulnier, Mark

California · Apr 14, 2016

Larsen, Rick

Washington · Apr 12, 2016

Beyer, Donald S.

Virginia · Sep 28, 2015

Frankel, Lois

Florida · Sep 28, 2015

Van Hollen, Chris

Maryland · Apr 13, 2015

Beatty, Joyce

Ohio · Mar 23, 2015

Jeffries, Hakeem S.

New York · Mar 23, 2015

Schakowsky, Janice D.

Illinois · Mar 23, 2015

Vargas, Juan

California · Mar 23, 2015

Chu, Judy

California · Mar 19, 2015

Cohen, Steve

Tennessee · Mar 19, 2015

Johnson, Henry C. "Hank"

Georgia · Mar 19, 2015

Kaptur, Marcy

Ohio · Mar 19, 2015

McGovern, James P.

Massachusetts · Mar 19, 2015

Moore, Gwen

Wisconsin · Mar 19, 2015

Nadler, Jerrold

New York · Mar 19, 2015

Sewell, Terri A.

Alabama · Mar 19, 2015

Wilson, Frederica S.

Florida · Mar 19, 2015

Cite this page click to expand

APA

U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1459: Democracy Restoration Act of 2015. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1459/

MLA

"H.R. 1459: Democracy Restoration Act of 2015." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1459/.

Bluebook (legal)

H.R. 1459, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1459/.

Markdown link

[H.R. 1459: Democracy Restoration Act of 2015](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1459/)