BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair


          SB 1063 (Block) - Voter Registration: Juvenile Detention  
          Facilities
          
          Amended:  May 6, 2014           Policy Vote: E&CA 4-1
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: Yes
          Hearing Date: May 12, 2014      Consultant: Maureen Ortiz
          
          This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

          
          Bill Summary:  SB 1063 requires state and local detention  
          facilities to assist any person who is of age to register to  
          vote with the completion of the affidavit of registration, and  
          to transmit those cards to the county elections official.

          Fiscal Impact: 

              Unknown, potentially significant reimbursable mandate costs  
              to local detention facilities (General Fund)

              Minor costs to CDCR (General Fund)

          Background:  Under existing law, a person is entitled to  
          register to vote if he or she is a United States citizen, a  
          resident of California, not in prison or on parole for the  
          conviction of a felony, and will be at least 18 years of age at  
          the time of the next election.

          Proposed Law:  SB 1063 will require a state or local juvenile  
          detention facility, including but not limited to, a juvenile  
          hall, juvenile ranch, juvenile camp, or a facility of the  
          Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of  
          Juvenile Justice to do all of the following:

          1)  Identify each individual housed in the facility who is of  
          age to register to vote.

          2)  Assist each of those individuals with the completion of the  
          affidavit of registration, unless the individual declines  
          assistance.

          3)  Provide an affidavit of registration to each individual  








          SB 1063 (Block)
          Page 1



          housed in the facility who is of age to register to vote by  
          either providing the individual with a paper affidavit of  
          registration, or directing the individual to an affidavit of  
          registration provided on the Internet Web site of the county or  
          the Secretary of State.

          4)  Accept any completed paper affidavits and transmit them to  
          the county elections official within 10 days, or within 5 days  
          if the card was received within five days before the last day  
          for registration to vote in an election.  As an alternate, the  
          facility may assist the individual who completed the voter  
          registration card in returning the completed card to the county  
          elections official.

          Staff Comments:  The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)  
          requires public assistance agencies, particularly those that  
          serve low-income or disabled populations, to provide voter  
          registration materials to individuals who receive assistance at  
          its facility. 

          According to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,  
          they already provide voter registration assistance to  
          individuals in their youth facilities who are 18 years of age  
          and over. 

          Proposed Author Amendments:  The author intends to amend this  
          bill to delete the provision that enables the facility to direct  
          eligible voters to the county website since online voter  
          registration is currently only available through the Secretary  
          of State website.