Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill today clearing certain marijuana offences from the records of hundreds.
According to WWMT, the bill has been dubbed The “Clean Slate” Criminal Reform Bill. Reps from Whitmer’s office say those who have committed “one or more marijuana offenses” could be cleared if it would have not been a crime after Dec. 6, 2018, when using marijuana recreationally would have been a crime.
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“These bipartisan bills are a game-changer for people who are seeking opportunities for employment, housing, and more, and they will help ensure a clean slate for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders. This is also an opportunity to grow our workforce and expand access to job training and education for so many people. I am proud to sign these bills today alongside Lt. Gov. Gilchrist and many of the bipartisan leaders who worked on them,” Whitmer said about the bill.
Garlin Gilchrist, the Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, said criminal reform has been a focus of their administration since the first day they started.
“While these clean slate bills, they do benefit all of us here in the state of Michigan. We know that people of color are over represented in our jail and prison populations. We know that generations of disparities have continued to have an impact on the lives of people of color across the state and across the country. While we can’t cure systemic problems overnight, this legislation is one step in the direction that we are choosing to address them head-on,” he said.
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A study by the University of Michigan law school says folks who receive cases like these removed from their record will see their yearly income increase by 23% according to WWMT.
The bill is also expected to help with the following:
- Expanding the number and revises the types of felonies and misdemeanors eligible to be set aside by application.
- Revising the waiting periods before being eligible to apply.
- Treating multiple felonies or misdemeanor offenses arising from the same transaction as a single felony or misdemeanor conviction, provided the offenses happened within 24 hours of one another and are not assaultive crimes, or involves possession or use of a dangerous weapon, or is a crime that carries penalty of 10 or more years in prison.
- Expanding expungement eligibility to various traffic offenses.
- Allowing a person to petition to set aside one or more marijuana offenses if the offense would not have been a crime if committed after the use of recreational marijuana by adults became legal in the state.
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