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Kansas Legal Services seeks renewal of expungement clinic funding after serving about 1,200 Kansans in two years
Summary
Matthew Keenan, executive director of Kansas Legal Services, told the committee that expungement clinics have performed about 20 events and helped roughly 1,200 Kansans over two years and that KLS seeks renewal of $200,000 to continue statewide clinics and add driver’s‑license restoration services.
Matthew Keenan, executive director of Kansas Legal Services, briefed the joint committee on a two‑year statewide expungement clinic project funded with interim legislative support. Keenan said the clinics reached rural and urban counties, used volunteer attorneys and corporate law partners to do intake and paperwork, and produced measurable outcomes for participants who cleared eligible nonviolent records.
Keenan said about 20 clinics have served approximately 1,200 Kansans across multiple judicial districts. He described the workflow: applicants are screened, pleadings are prepared, volunteer attorneys assist at clinics under KLS malpractice coverage, and Kansas Legal Services attorneys handle follow‑up and court filings when required. Keenan showed client videos and cited employment impacts — examples included clients who obtained better paying work as a property manager and other positions after records were sealed.
KLS asked lawmakers to renew $200,000 in legislative support for the clinics and to consider additional funding to add driver’s‑license restoration advocacy to the program; Keenan said many clients need both record‑sealing and license work to get to stable employment. He also noted that corporate partners (for example, T‑Mobile and Cargill) supplied pro bono attorneys and logistical help that expanded clinic capacity.
Why it matters: Expungement can materially affect employment prospects, wages and family stability for people who have completed sentences and met statutory waiting periods. Keenan and committee members framed the clinics as a constituent‑service model that uses targeted public funding, volunteer professional time, and legal aid expertise to reduce barriers to reentry for Kansans who meet statutory eligibility.
Keenan noted the clinics are geographically dispersed and said legislators who want clinics in their districts can request that KLS schedule one; he also described the program’s cost‑benefit features and asked for a statutory or appropriation path so clinics can continue and expand driver’s‑license assistance.
