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Bill would seal first-offender records at sentencing instead of after sentence completion

Senate Rules Committee ยท March 10, 2026

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Summary

Representative Hagan told the committee HB162 would amend Georgia's first-offender law to seal records at sentencing, making the law function as a second-chance mechanism; judges would retain authority to unseal records for cause.

Representative Hagan asked the committee to consider House Bill 162 to modernize the first-offender act so that records are sealed and restricted at the time of sentencing rather than only after successful completion of a sentence. "It amends and modernizes our first offender act, so that it truly is a second chance that it was originally intended to be," Hagan said in committee.

Under the sponsor's description, the bill would change the sealing and restriction timing; a sentencing judge would retain discretion to unseal records "should the judge feel that the offender has violated their sentence or there's some other reason to unseal them," Hagan said. The sponsor noted this is the third session the bill has been filed.

Committee members praised the bill and asked no recorded follow-up that altered the sponsor's description. The committee later advanced HB162 as part of a grouped motion to move several bills forward.