Advertisement Lawmakers pass bill to let some felons clear records Bill passed House 84-13 with no debate Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A measure aimed at giving some nonviolent felons a second chance by having their criminal records erased won final legislative approval Friday, and Gov. Matt Bevin said he looks forward to signing it into law.After years of coming up short in the General Assembly, the felony expungement bill cleared the final hurdle on an 84-13 House vote with no debate. Supporters stood to applaud after the vote was announced.Democratic Rep. Darryl Owens of Louisville, the bill's lead sponsor, later said he was elated at the outcome, and predicted it would give thousands of Kentuckians a better chance to lead productive lives."It's going to mean a new lease on life," he said. "It's going to mean that many folks are going to now be able to go to a school and read to their kids, go on field trips with their kids, get a good-paying job."The bill's final passage was hailed by two of Kentucky's top Republicans: Bevin and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.Bevin said he was "delighted" to see the bill headed to his desk, and said he looked forward to signing it.I believe that nonviolent felony offenders who have paid their debt to society, stayed out of trouble as required by the law, and have shown that they are sincerely trying to get back on track, do indeed deserve a second chance," the governor said in a statement.Paul called the bill's passage a "positive step forward for criminal justice reform in Kentucky.""As someone who has led the fight for similar reforms on a federal level, I applaud Kentucky's legislators for finding a way to give people a second chance," Paul said in a statement.The measure cleared its most crucial hurdle earlier this week when it passed the GOP-led state Senate. In prior years, expungement bills passed the Democrat-controlled House but died in the Senate.The Senate inserted language this week that would force eligible offenders to wait five years once serving out their sentences, including parole, before requesting to have their criminal records expunged.The Senate version also narrowed the number of felony offenses covered by the proposal.Of the approximately 400 crimes classified as Class D felonies under state law, 61 would be covered by the bill, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Whitney Westerfield said earlier in the week during the Senate debate. Those 61 offenses, however, cover about 70 percent of all Kentuckians convicted of Class D felonies, he said.People convicted of multiple felonies would be ineligible to have their records expunged, unless all their offenses were committed in a single occurrence and all the offenses are covered by the bill.The House accepted those changes in giving final passage Friday.The legislation would apply to people convicted of some Class D felony offenses - crimes whose maximum sentence is five years in prison - allowing them to ask a court to clear their records.The measure would not apply to felons convicted of violent crimes or sex offenses.Under the bill, eligible offenders could go to court to ask a judge to vacate and expunge their criminal records. Prosecutors could respond to the request on behalf of crime victims. The judge would then decide whether to expunge the record.During the Senate debate, critics of the bill said the five-year waiting period wasn't long enough. They also said prospective employers deserve to know if a job applicant has a criminal past.