Bill > HB953

This bill establishes a comprehensive system for automated criminal record expungement in Missouri, creating new mechanisms to help individuals clear their criminal records more easily. The bill creates a Joint Committee on the Justice System that will establish an advisory committee on expungement and record clearing, tasked with reviewing current expungement laws and recommending ways to streamline record-clearing processes. Under the new provisions, certain misdemeanor and felony records can be automatically expunged after specified waiting periods without requiring individuals to file a petition, such as one year for misdemeanors, three years for felonies, and automatically for individuals over 65 who have not been convicted of new crimes in the past ten years. The bill sets lifetime limits on expungements (no more than two felonies and three misdemeanors) and creates a Missouri Expungement Fund to support technological infrastructure for record expungement. Additionally, the bill requires state agencies to maintain a non-public record of expunged convictions for specific legal and administrative purposes, ensures that expunged records do not appear on most background checks after seven years, and provides protections for individuals with expunged records in employment and other contexts. The goal is to help individuals with past criminal records more easily reintegrate into society by reducing barriers related to their criminal history.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry, Government Affairs

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB953&year=2025&code=R