Michigan 'Clean Slate' Bills To Bring Criminal Justice Reform

MICHIGAN — A series of bipartisan bills signed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Monday will make it easier for people who have committed certain felonies and misdemeanors to have their records expunged.

Whitmer on Monday signed House Bills 4980-4985 and 5120, which will allow a person to set aside one or more marijuana offenses if the offense would not have been a crime if committed after Dec. 6, 2018, when recreational marijuana use by adults became legal in Michigan.

"These bipartisan bills are going to be a game changer," Whitmer said Monday during a news conference in Detroit. "They will ensure a clean slate for hundreds of thousands of people, and they will help us grow our workforce and expand access to education and skills training.

"When we help people get a good job so they can put a roof over their head, it is good for our state. It's good for out families, our small businesses and our economy as a whole."

Whitmer said that research conducted by the University of Michigan law school, which was recently published by the Harvard Law Review, found that people who receive expungements see a 23 percent increase in income within a year. This means more resources for families and communities, and a broader tax base, without any negative impact on public safety, Whitmer said.

The changes proposed by the bills include creating an autonomous process for setting side eligible misdemeanors and eligible non-assaultive felonies after 10 years.

The bills also expand the number and revises the types of felonies and misdemeanors eligible to be set aside by application.

They also treat multiple felonies or misdemeanor offenses arising from the same transaction as a single felony or misdemeanor conviction, provided the offenses happened within 24 hours of one another and are not assaultive crimes, or involves possession or use of a dangerous weapon, or is a crime that carries penalty of 10 or more years in prison.

Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said the move is a step in the right direction, but said there is still work to do in reforming Michigan's criminal justice system.

"We must continue to do the work that needs to be done around criminal justice reform," he said. "Our administration has been committed to enacting these reforms since day one."