Low-level marijuana convictions could get cleared under a package of bills expected to be introduced in the state Legislature this week, but people with records will have to jump through some hoops first.

While some other states that have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use have made expungement automatic, Michigan’s approach would require those with marijuana charges to petition the courts first before their records are cleared.

It’s an approach that has a better chance of passing the Legislature, which has Republican majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate, said Rep. Graham Filler, R-DeWitt Township.

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“This is a starting point. You have to play the political will game,” he said after a news conference Monday in Detroit that introduced the bills that dealt with a wide range of criminal offenses. “There are still individuals who will vote against any marijuana bills, so you have to be very careful.

“I’m very much about the politics of the possible. If I can get 80% here or 75%, that’s a great start.”

Democrats have introduced legislation that would automatically expunge the records for petty pot crimes, wiping the records for an estimated 235,000 people. And sponsors of those bills introduced this summer hope the new bills will merely be a starting point.

“People who have committed very petty crimes should be able to get rid of those without having to jump through additional hoops, including having to file hundreds of thousands of unnecessary applications with the courts,” said Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. “I respect Rep. Filler’s interest in moving these criminal justice reforms forward, but I hope to work with him to make the policy the best it can be.”

The marijuana expungement bill is part of a six-bill package that would expand expungement policy so more non-assaultive crimes could be wiped from the records of people across the state by:

Allowing people with up to three, non-assaultive felonies or some traffic offenses to get their records cleared

Establishing automatic expungement for certain offenders

Allowing forgiveness for acts committed during “one bad night,” where multiple felonies or misdemeanors arise from the same incident.

Shortening the eligibility period for expungement to three to seven years, depending on the crime.

The 10 other states that have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use either have laws on the books or are considering measures to clear records for people who have been convicted of pot crimes that are no longer illegal under legalization.

California and Illinois have the most liberal laws, automatically clearing records for those convicted of low-level pot crimes, such as possession.

Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Vermont, Colorado and New Hampshire all allow for people to apply to the courts to get their records cleared while the legislatures in Alaska and Maine are considering such bills.

State Rep. David LaGrand, D-Grand Rapids, said he’s going to fight for automatic expungement of records because it’s “cray cray to make 235,000 people go to court to get their records cleared.”

Tamika Mallory, a Detroiter who has been unsuccessful in getting three misdemeanors, including two marijuana charges, cleared from her record, said the convictions have kept her from getting a license to open an adult foster care home.

“Twenty years ago, I made some bad choices. I made a couple of mistakes,” she said while speaking in support of the expungement legislation at the news conference. “I wanted to open my own adult foster care home, but I wasn’t able to because of these convictions.”

It’s people like Mallory that make it so important to pass the legislation quickly, said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who also was at the news conference.

“We have far too many citizens in this state and this city whose talents we’ve marginalized for way too long, folks who paid their debt and want to rebuild their lives,” Duggan said. “As a state, we made it far too difficult.”

The city has hired full-time attorneys to help people with their expungement cases.

The bills are expected to be officially introduced later this week.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoigal.