by
<a href="mailto:sharons@awcnet.org">Sharon Swanson</a>, <a href="mailto:shannonm@awcnet.org">Shannon McClelland</a> | Apr 19, 2019
<a target="_blank" href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5605&Initiative=false&Year=2019"><strong>SB 5605</strong></a>, sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D–Seattle), has passed the Legislature, but must be included in the budget to become law.
SB 5605, sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D–Seattle), has passed the Legislature, but must be included in the budget to become law.
The bill, as amended, does the following:
- Allows a person with prior convictions of misdemeanor marijuana possession to apply to the sentencing court for a vacation of their conviction record;
- Applies to applicants who were at least 21 years old at the time of the offense;
- Requires that the court must vacate the applicant’s conviction record and may not consider the restrictions applicable to vacating other misdemeanor convictions;
- Applies the bill to different but prior codifications of the same misdemeanor marijuana possession crime;
- Expands the authority to vacate criminal offenses to equivalent municipal ordinances; and
- Adds a null and void clause. If the bill is not funded in the final budget, it does not take effect.