Millions of Californians who ran afoul of the law could have their criminal records automatically expunged – potentially clearing hurdles to jobs and housing to help them move beyond their past – under a bill being considered in Sacramento.

AB 1076 would automatically erase the criminal records of those who successfully finished probation after serving a county jail sentence. Those arrested but never convicted of a crime also would have their records cleared without having to petition the court.

As many as 8 million Californians have criminal convictions “that hamper their ability to find work and housing, secure public benefits, or even get admitted to college” and “find themselves in ‘paper prisons’ for life due to their criminal record,” read a fact sheet on the bill from its sponsor, Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco.

“Permanently blocking people from opportunities to move forward in their lives after they’ve completed their sentence and paid their debt is bad policy,” said Jay Jordan, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, in a news release. “It is undermining public safety and the health of families and communities across California.”

AB 1076 passed the Assembly 52-21 in late May and cleared the state Senate Public Safety Committee by a 4-1 vote earlier this month. It’s scheduled to be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Aug. 12 and faces a mid-September deadline for passage.

The bill’s opponents include the California District Attorneys Association and the California Law Enforcement Association of Records Supervisors, Inc.

Larry Morse, the DA association’s legislative director, said that while the association is not philosophically opposed to the bill, its language contains some technical flaws. For example, language in an earlier version of the bill would have allowed relief for people whose criminal cases were still open, Morse said.

While the association has worked with Ting’s office to fix the problems, some flaws still remain, Morse said.

“A lot of times, the legislature introduces bills that have not been thought through in all the details,” he said.

“I hope we’re going to be able to find common ground on the bill. Our agenda is just to have whatever is passed not have unintended collateral consequences.”

Ting’s office argued that current law places a costly and cumbersome burden on people to hire a lawyer and ask the court to clear their records. Fewer than 20% of those eligible get their records expunged, according to the assemblyman’s office.

Automating expungement also is cheaper, costing 4 cents per record compared to $3,757 per record under the current system, Ting’s office added.

Almost 90% of employers, 80% of landlords and 60% of colleges screen applicants’ criminal records, and a National Institute of Justice study found that a criminal record reduced the chance of getting a job offer or callback by 50%, Ting’s office reported.

Under his bill, offenders who successfully complete the terms of their county jail sentences will be automatically eligible to have their records cleared. Arrest records also would be cleared after one year for a misdemeanor and after three years for a felony.

Ting’s bill does not expand eligibility for expungement, according to the assemblyman’s office. Registered sex offenders and those currently on parole or probation would not be eligible, law enforcement would still have access to criminal records and those applying for a peace officer job would still have to disclose past arrests and convictions.

If the bill passes, California would be the third state after Pennsylvania and Utah to have some form of automatic expungement or sealing of criminal records, according to The Washington Post.