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Kansas committee hears testimony to let municipal courts run specialty treatment courts and offer expungement
Summary
Witnesses told the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee that HB 2655 would allow municipal court judges to run specialty (treatment) courts and permit petition-based expungement when participants complete program requirements; proponents said the change would create an early intervention and lower barriers for low-income defendants.
TOPEKA — The House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on House Bill 26 55, which would permit the chief judge of a municipal court to establish specialty (treatment) court programs and allow petition-based expungement of municipal convictions after successful program completion, proponents said.
Jason Thompson of the Reviser's Office told the committee the bill adds municipal courts to the existing specialty court framework and adds expungement language to the municipal conviction expungement statute to mirror district-court law. "When you complete the requirements of a specialty court program, you can petition the court for expungement of the conviction and related arrest records," Thompson said.
Municipal Judge Jason Maxwell of Liberal said his city's treatment court, in operation since…
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