The Missouri House finished work on a wide-ranging public safety bill that includes an automatic expungement program for some misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.
The House voted 110-25 to send Senate Bill 1421 to Gov. Mike Kehoe's desk. Among the provisions is what's known as "Clean Slate" legislation that automatically expunges misdemeanors after one year and nonviolent felonies after three years.
Sen. Brian Williams, D-St. Louis County, who co-sponsored the expungement program in the Senate, said the program would be run by the Missouri Highway Patrol, as opposed to individual court officials.
"They will scan everyone by a code of their offense. And then they will wake up, essentially the next morning, and their record would be cleared," Williams said. "We're eliminating the process of clerks having to do paperwork. We're eliminating the courts in a way of someone having to file a petition, which is very expensive and get a lawyer to get their record expunged."
Williams and other proponents of the automatic expungement proposals said the program could help nonviolent offenders find stable employment. He co-sponsored the legislation with Sen. Nick Schroer, R-St. Charles County.
"I think it is an issue that shouldn't be partisan," Williams said. "I'm glad there are colleagues on both sides of the aisle that see value in putting people on a pathway to be model citizens and not being hindered by a previous mistake that can easily happen to anyone in our community."
Other provisions
Some of the other parts of the public safety bill include:
- Restrictions on flying unmanned aircraft, like drones, over open-air facilities, such as stadiums.
- Tying the salaries of certain prosecuting attorneys with the salary of a circuit court judge.
- Creating an offense of "masked intimidation," which is defined by someone who intentionally "harasses, intimidates, or threatens any other person while hiding or concealing their face with a mask, hood, or any other article or device" with the intent "to place another person in reasonable fear for their physical safety." It does not encompass people who wear a mask with their job or for any activities protected by the First Amendment.
- Establishes the offense of gift card fraud.
- Requires someone who is convicted of killing a parent in a DUI car accident to pay child support.
- Mandates background checks for staff who work at overnight or residential camps.
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