On Monday, the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence heard public testimony on a bill that would modify the terms of criminal record expungement applications. SB 36, sponsored by Senator Brian Williams (D – St. Louis), would restore certain rights, including voting, to formerly incarcerated individuals who have had their non-violent criminal record expunged. The act would not extend expungement applications to violent crimes and would bar expungement for any crime that required the convict to register as a sex offender. Additionally, the act would also eliminate the $250 application fee for expungement of a felony or misdemeanor.
In his presentation of the bill, Williams stated the need for simplifying the expungement application process and that the current process is often too complicated for applicants to effectively complete. The MCC testified in support of SB 36. This bill must now be voted out of committee before being considered by the entire Missouri Senate.