LANSING — A bipartisan package of legislation was passed by the Michigan House of Representatives today to give thousands of residents with old, low-level criminal convictions an opportunity for a fresh start by expanding eligibility, shortening the required waiting period and establishing an automatic expungement system for certain offenses. In response, state Rep. Leslie Love (D-Detroit) issued the following statement:
“This is an issue that I have worked on since the first day of my first term, and I am extremely happy that this package that will give citizens a second chance to lead a productive life passed through the House today. This gives people who accepted their punishment, took responsibility for their crime, and now want to live a productive and meaningful life with a good job and a decent place to live for themselves and their families a fresh restart. This is really an anti-poverty and public safety measure, and I am proud of the part I played in moving this forward and across the goal line. It is great to see work that I started in 2017 when I introduced HB 4790, completed in a similar bill that was included in the package that passed.”