SB 276 — Voter Registration List Maintenance

Florida Senate - 2018 CS for SB 276 By Senatorthe HutsonCommittee 7-00463-18on 2018276__Appropriations; A bill to be entitled An act relating to voter registration list maintenance;

and Senators Hutson and Baxley 576-01823-18 2018276c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to voter registration list maintenance;

authorizing the Department of State to enter into certain interstate agreements or to become a member of a nongovernmental entity to verify voter registration information;

establishing requirements for participation in such agreements or memberships;

1312 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

1514 Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 98.075, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

(b)1. The department may enter into interstate agreements or become a member of a nongovernmental entity whose membership is composed solely of election officials of state governmentgovernments electionand officialsthe District of Columbia if the sole purpose of the agreement or membership is to share and exchange information in order to verify voter registration information.

2. The department may share confidential and exempt information pursuant to an interstate agreement or after becoming a member of a nongovernmental entity as provided in subparagraph 1.

a. Each state that is a participant in the interstate agreement or each member of the nongovernmental entity agrees to maintain the confidentiality of such information as required by the laws of the jurisdiction providing the information;

or b. The bylaws of the nongovernmental entity require member statesjurisdictions and the entity to maintain the confidentiality of information as required by the laws of the statejurisdiction providing the information.

3. The department may only enter into an interstate agreement or become a member of a nongovernmental entity as provided in subparagraph 1.

if the agreement or entity is controlled and operated by the participating states.jurisdictions.

The interstate agreement or entity may not be operated or controlled by the Federal Government or any other entity acting on behalf of the Federal Government.

The department must be able to withdraw at any time from suchany interstatesuch agreement or membership entered into.

4. If the department enters into an interstate agreement or becomes a member of a nongovernmental entity as provided in subparagraph 1., the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must, pursuant to a written agreement with the department, provide driver license or identification card information to the department for the purpose of sharing and exchanging voter registration information pursuant to an interstate agreement or with the nongovernmental entity.

5. If the department enters into an interstate agreement or becomes a member of a nongovernmental entity as provided in subparagraph 1., the department must submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 1 of each year.

The report must describe the interstateterms agreementof orthe nongovernmental entity membership and provide information on the total number of voters removed from the voter registration system as a result of the agreement or membership and the reasons for their removal.