SB 564

Abstract

Sealing of offenses resulting in a deferred and dismissed disposition or conviction. Eliminates the lifetime cap on the number of sealing petitions that may be filed. The bill reduces from seven years to three years for a misdemeanor offense and from 10 years to seven years for a felony offense the minimum period of time between the offense to be sealed and the filing of the sealing petition during which the petitioner must not have been convicted of violating any law of the Commonwealth. The bill also reduces from seven years to three years the minimum period of time between the offense to be sealed and the automatic sealing of a misdemeanor offense. The bill also clarifies that a sealing petition may seal records related to any violation of the terms and conditions of a suspended sentence or probation for such conviction that were specifically set forth in the petition to be sealed.

Sealing of offenses resulting in a deferredand dismissed disposition or conviction. Provides that a personshall not pay any fees or costs for filing a sealing criminalrecords petition. Under current law, a person is required to filean indigence petition for any fees or costs to be waived. The billalso eliminates the lifetime cap on the number of sealing petitionsthat may be filed. The bill reduces from seven years to three yearsfor a misdemeanor offense and from 10 years to seven years for a felony offense the minimum period of time between the offense tobe sealed and the filing of the sealing petition during which thepetitioner must not have been convicted of violating any law of theCommonwealth. The bill also adds convictions for (i) failure to paychild support, (ii) driving without a license, (iii) driving witha suspended or revoked license, and (iv) a misdemeanor violation of reckless driving to the list of offenses eligible for an automaticsealing. The bill also specifies that the sealing of records relatedto a conviction includes sealing any criminal history record informationand court records related to any violation of the terms and conditionsof a suspended sentence or probation for such conviction.