Washington State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon has filed a proposal to allow those convicted of a cannabis possession misdemeanor to have the charge expunged from their record, meaning it would no longer appear on a background check. Identical legislation was filed by Rep. Fitzgibbon in the 2013 session; the proposal was approved in its first two committees, though never received a vote in the full House of Representatives.

House Bill 1041, which will have over 20 legislative cosponsors once the session begins on January 12th, would allow those who have been charged with possession of up to 40 grams of cannabis to have it removed from their record, as long as that person has no pending criminal charges. People with certain violent charges and a history of DUI would also be ineligible.

The full text of House Bill 1041, which will be placed in the House Public Safety Committee, can be found by clicking here.

– TheJointBlog