I am so pleased to have been a sponsor on the package of bills making Michigan the first state in the nation to provide an automatic clean-up of criminal records for certain non-violent offenses. The bills were signed into law by Gov. Whitmer on Monday, October 12, 2020.
The “Clean Slate” package of bills, as they are called, creates an automatic process to set aside eligible misdemeanors after seven years and eligible non-violent felonies after 10 years. It also expands and revises the types of felonies and misdemeanors eligible to be set aside by application.
The package allows for the expungement of many non-violent crimes, but I am especially pleased that two particular “categories”, which so many of you have reached out to me about, are addressed in this package. Marijuana offenses, if they wouldn’t have been a crime after Michigan voters legalized the drug for recreational use in 2018, are now eligible for expungement. Also, incidents where multiple felonies or misdemeanors are committed during “one bad night,” may now, in many cases, be expunged.
These bills could affect hundreds of thousands of people across Michigan who are trying to turn their lives around. Ex-offenders who have paid their debt to society and are living within the law deserve a fair chance to prove they have changed their ways. Expungement rewards good behavior by providing a more level playing field for people seeking employment and housing while at the same time lowering recidivism rates, saving taxpayer dollars and making our communities safer.
Please contact my office for more information on the Clean Slate package.