A final adopted bill suspends the rollout of a new program that vacates criminal convictions and instead focuses on a study and pilot program.
HB 2793 directs the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to conduct a study and a pilot program of a court-driven process to vacate criminal convictions. Currently, there are up to 8.4 million criminal convictions that could be eligible for vacation.
Timelines for developing the vacation program reports are as follows:
- By December 1, 2020: The AOC must provide a report with findings, recommendations, and an implementation plan to the Legislature.
- From July 1, 2021 – June 20, 2022: The AOC must conduct a pilot program with a county to test the proposed system.
- By December 1, 2022: The AOC must submit a final report (including a summary of data collected during the pilot program) to the Legislature.
HB 2793 passed both the House and Senate and is now headed to the Governor for signature.