Bill > HB1118

This bill repeals and replaces the current adult expungement statute with a new process that modifies the timeframes for filing expungements, the types of crimes eligible for expungement, and other procedural aspects, while also introducing a new provision for expunging juvenile arrest records. Expungement, in this context, refers to the legal process of clearing or sealing criminal records, making them inaccessible to the public and often treated as if the offense never occurred. The bill also makes conforming changes to various Indiana Code (IC) sections, including those related to eligibility for public office, alcoholic beverage permits, tobacco sales certificates, and the admissibility of criminal history information in civil actions, all of which will now refer to the new expungement chapter, IC 35-38-9.5, and the new juvenile expungement chapter, IC 31-39-8.5, instead of the repealed IC 35-38-9.