Indiana’s House Bill 1482 recently passed through the House with a vote of 78-19. This is Indiana’s first bill of its kind to allow for the expungement of crimes at various levels.
House Bill 1482 was proposed by Representative Jud McMillin of Brookville and is supported by Representative Eric Turner of Marion. Because no bill of its kind currently exists, they have high hopes for the future of expungement laws stating that “making a mistake doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily a bad person. Making a mistake means you are a human being.” The Bill is currently with the Governor, Mike Pence, waiting for his approval. Governor Pence has yet to state his opinion on the proposed law. The people of Indiana, as well as Representative McMillin, strongly support the Bill and have full faith that Pence will sign it.
There are several expungement processes the law covers depending on how far the case went and the magnitude of the crime committed. Misdemeanors and class D felonies can be expunged as early as five years after the conviction as long as the sentence was completed, they have no pending charges, and no convictions within those five years. Serious felonies can also be expunged but are held to higher standards, and petitions cannot be filed until eight to ten years after the conviction and decisions are at the discretion of the judge.
Not only does the law allow for expungements but it also changes how employers are allowed to ask about past criminal history. This is beneficial to those with criminal histories that have been expunged and will potentially increase the likelihood of employment opportunities for them.