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State Capitol

Kentucky Senate Passes Expungement Expansion

The Kentucky Senate has voted overwhelmingly to expand the list of felony crimes eligible for expungement. The measure includes a ten-year waiting period before an offense can be cleared from a criminal record.

Bill sponsor Jimmy Higdon says the bill extends the opportunity for expungement from 62 offenses to all Class D felonies.

The Lebanon senator says a felony can be what he called, quote, “a life sentence”.  Higdon says the bill also helps employers who are looking for workers. “You can’t find a single employer that says they have all the help that they need.  This would help a person that’s probably already working today that has a felony.  After expungement, they would be able to seek a better job,” said Higdon.

Higdon says judges would have discretion and expungement wouldn’t be an option for those committing violent crimes, sex offenses, or breaching of public trust.  Lexington Senator Reggie Thomas says the $500 cost, although spread out over 18 months, is excessive.  He also believes the ten-year waiting period is too long.  “Five years. Three years. I’m not opposed to a waiting period, but ten years before you can get a new lease on life is just way too long,” noted Thomas.

The bill now heads to the House with just a third of this session remaining.

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