Expands use of the federal SAVE Program by the Department of Elections to verify citizenship of registered voters and adds reporting of noncitizens from concealed handgun permit applications to aid in removing noncitizens from voter rolls.
The Department shall apply to participate in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program (SAVE Program) operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the purposes of verifying that voters listed in the Virginia voter registration system are United States citizens.
✓ Quote verified word for word in the bill text
FirearmsotherAI label
=No change to gun accessmodel confidence 70%
Requires citizenship questions and voter registration opportunities (with opt-out) for applicants for concealed handgun permits at circuit court clerks' offices.
Each person coming into an office of a clerk of a circuit court in the Commonwealth in order to apply for a Virginia resident concealed handgun permit pursuant to § 18.2-308.02, or renewal or replacement of a Virginia resident concealed handgun permit originally issued pursuant to such application, shall be presented with (i) a question asking whether or not the person is a United States citizen and (ii) the option to decline to have his information transmitted to the Department of Elections for voter registration purposes.
Why the model tagged it this way: The bill expands immigration enforcement by mandating participation in the federal SAVE program for voter citizenship verification and by requiring circuit court clerks and the Department of Wildlife Resources to collect and share noncitizen status from concealed handgun permit, hunting, and fishing license applicants to purge noncitizens from voter rolls. It also adds concealed handgun permit applications as a point for automatic voter registration (with opt-out and citizenship check), which is a neutral change for the firearms topic as it does not alter rules on buying, owning, or carrying.
Related bills
HB28Voter registration; regular periodic review of registration records.↑Expands immigration enforcement Passed one chamber