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Senate amends and returns juvenile expungement bill for reconsideration, then advances it
Summary
Senators voted to recall House Bill 35 (expungement of juvenile records), accepted a three-line amendment granting judges limited waiver authority, and then advanced the amended bill to the third-reading calendar with broad support.
House Bill 35, which sets a one-year waiting period before a juvenile’s record can be expunged, was recalled from the House for amendment and then advanced to the third-reading calendar after senators adopted an amendment giving judges discretion to waive the waiting period in certain cases.
Senator Butters described the proposed amendment as a measured fix for young people who had made a single mistake: the amendment would permit a court to waive the one-year requirement if the judge states on the record the reason for the waiver. "This gives the judge the option to say, hey — this kid made a singular mistake," the senator said while reading the amendment on the floor.
Senators who previously expressed reservations said the amendment addressed earlier concerns; Senate roll-call announcements showed strong support. The chamber recorded that House Bill 35 received 27 aye votes and no nay votes during the subsequent roll call and was placed on the third-reading calendar.
The amendment and passage to third reading do not finalize statutory change; they return an amended House bill to the Senate’s third-reading process for final consideration.
