After a contentious two days of debate over whether it's constitutional to require repayment of all fees and fines before ex-offenders can vote again, a divided Florida House voted Wednesday to make them pay.

The biggest sticking point was whether the financial requirement undermined the amendment's intent to end the disenfranchisement of more than 1 million felons who have completed their sentence and returned to society.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa, said the measure clarifies the meaning of the language of the ballot proposal approved in November and is consistent with the media campaign that promoted its passage.

"For the purpose of this bill, my commitment is to the Constitution," he said while making several impassioned closing comments before the vote.

He insisted that requiring payment of all debts owed is not unconstitutional or discriminatory, and wondered aloud why the measure's opponents were focused solely on voting rights and not a restoration of other civil rights lost by a felony conviction.

Since the start of committee meetings after the election, Grant has cited the testimony of Amendment 4's advocates before the Supreme Court that fees and fines are a part of a sentence. Both the House and Senate include payment of the charges in their bills.

The Amendment stated except for murder and felony sex offenses, felons voting rights are restored "upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation."

Grant argued if a court imposes a fee, then its payment completes a sentence.

“It absolutely includes fines, fees and court costs,” said Grant about the ballot language approved by more than 5 million voters. "This bill does not disenfranchise anyone."

Grant added felons disenfranchised themselves when they committed a crime.

Democrats pushed back on the issue with fiery rhetoric of their own. Rep. Ramon Alexander, D-Tallahassee, said the House wanted to impose "taxation without representation" on felons.

"If we're going to silence them from voting then why do we expect them to pay ad valorem taxes," said Alexander. "If we think they are not fit to participate in society then why do we let them out of prison."

Alexander and others hammered away at Grant's proposal during a lengthy debate Tuesday and for another three hours on Wednesday afternoon.

The Tampa Republican softened his position, amending the measure to move closer to the Senate. The Senate version waives fines and fees converted to a civil lien to allow felons to register. The House proposes a waiver of interest and administrative fees charged during incarceration.

A financial barrier to vote calls to mind a Jim Crow-era poll tax, opponents argued. Amendment 4 was the most popular item on the Florida ballot in November. It received more votes than either Gov. Ron DeSantis, or Sen. Rick Scott or any member of the Florida Cabinet.

"This is why society does not trust elected officials. They send us here to do one thing and we do a totally opposite thing. And we do it under the guise of clarity," said Rep. Kionne McGhee, D- Miami. "Don’t supplant your belief and your understanding of those who sent us here."

House Democrats dubbed Grant's bill a version of "cash-register justice." They argued nothing in Amendment 4 made lack of payment a disqualifying event.

But House Republicans countered they would not be doing their job if they failed to follow the amendment's language and supporters' explanation of what it meant, during the campaign and in debates.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, said voters were consistently told the amendment did not invalidate fines and fees for voting rights restoration.

"To say now, what was said before the November election is not what is going on now is inconsistent," said Donalds. "That is playing politics. What we have to do is look at the letter of the amendment."

Anything less would be pulling a "bait and switch" on the voters who supported the ballot initiative, said Indialantic Republican Rep. Thad Altman.

An estimated 1.4 million former felons could regain their voting rights under the amendment. There have been no estimates of how many have registered to vote since it went into effect in January but new voter numbers are double what they were four years ago.

Before voters acted in November, felons had to wait five years after being released to petition the governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Executive Clemency, to restore their civil rights. Florida was one of four states that did not automatically restore voting rights.

The NAACP, ACLU, and the Southern Poverty Law Center have all called on the Legislature to drop the financial obligations requirements altogether, as an unfair and unnecessary mandate.

More:Voter registration numbers increase two-fold after Amendment 4

More:Hundreds call on legislators to fully implement Amendment 4

In addition to the payment question the House and Senate also address felony sex differently. The House includes a long list of offenses to disqualify felons. The Senate includes any crime that requires registration on the state sexual offender list.

The two chambers now have seven days of session to work out their differences.

Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, amended the Senate bill Tuesday to require payment of victim restitution. The bill cleared the Rules Committee on a split vote and Brandes told the panel he expects negotiations with the House will continue into the session’s final week.

“This is a dance with the House,” Brandes told the committee. “There are plenty of differences, and there likely will be an amendment on the floor.”

Writer James Call can be contacted at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on Twitter @CallTallahassee