House Passes Bill To Expunge Lower Felonies

The House has passed a bill that would allow people convicted of low-level felonies to apply to remove them from their criminal records.

The vote was 78-19 Monday afternoon.

The proposal would allow people to expunge felonies that carry sentences of one to five years in prison. The bill would not apply to those convicted of sex offenses or more than one felony.

The bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Darryl Owens of Louisville will now move to the Republican-controlled Senate for consideration.

Similar bills proposed in previous sessions failed to become law. For instance, like-minded legislation in 2011 failed to leave the House Judiciary Committee.