HB0140 • 2021

Expungement for restoration of rights-2.

AN ACT relating to criminal procedure; reducing the waiting period for expungement of nonviolent felony convictions to expedite individuals' restoration of rights; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Crime

Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor: Representative Wharff
Last action: 2021-04-07
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2021

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details on how expungement affects restoration of rights such as voting and employment opportunities.

Reducing Time for Expungement of Nonviolent Felony Convictions

The bill reduces the waiting period from ten years to one year for people convicted of nonviolent felonies before a specific date to petition for expungement.

What This Bill Does

Changes the law so that people can ask a court to remove records of certain felony convictions after just one year instead of ten years, but only if their conviction happened before the new rule starts.

Who It Names or Affects

People who have been convicted of nonviolent felonies and want to expunge their records
Courts that handle petitions for expungement

Terms To Know

Expungement: The process of removing criminal records from public view, making it as if the conviction never happened.
Nonviolent Felony Convictions: Serious crimes that do not involve violence against others.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill only applies to nonviolent felony convictions and does not affect violent felonies.
It is unclear how many people will be able to use this new rule since it depends on when their conviction happened.
This bill was marked as inactive, meaning it did not pass in the current session.

Bill History

2021-04-07 House
H:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to HR 5-4
2021-03-23 House
H No report prior to CoW Cutoff
2021-03-02 House
H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary
2021-03-01 House
H Received for Introduction
2021-02-24 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

21LSO-0319
2021
STATE OF WYOMING
21LSO-0319
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0140

Expungement for restoration of rights.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Wharff, Burt, Haroldson, Jennings, Laursen and Ottman and Senator(s) Biteman, Driskill, James and Salazar

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to criminal procedure; reducing the waiting period for expungement of nonviolent felony convictions to expedite individuals' restoration of rights; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 7
‑
13
‑
1502(a)(i) is amended to read:

7
‑
13
‑
1502.

Petition for expungement of records of conviction of certain felonies; filing fee; notice; objections; hearing; definitions; restoration of rights.

(a)

A person convicted of a felony or felonies subject to expungement under this section arising out of the same occurrence or related course of events, may petition the convicting court for an expungement of the records of conviction, subject to the following limitations:

(i)

At least
ten (10) years have
one (1) year has
passed since:

Section 2
.

A person convicted of a felony or felonies subject to expungement under W.S. 7
‑
13
‑
1502 before the effective date of this act is entitled to expungement under the timeframe provided by this act.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2021
.

(END)

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HB0140