SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois Senate Democrats passed a monumental bill Wednesday night to automatically seal records for people convicted of nonviolent felonies.
Felony convictions currently eligible for expungement could be automatically sealed by a circuit court judge or the Illinois State Police. Sponsors believe it is past time for a streamlined process to open doors to job opportunities and allow 1.7 million Illinoisans who served time to rebuild their lives.
Serious crimes like murder, sex offenses, human trafficking, Class X felonies, DUI and domestic violence will be excluded from automatic sealing.
"This does not extend the amount of crimes that are currently able to be sealed by petition, so it allows for us to deal with the backlog of cases," said Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago). "This bill and the resulting amount of amendments were the result of a considerable amount of discussion and negotiation between law enforcement and the practitioners in this space."
In fact, it is rare to see law enforcement organizations and grassroots advocates working together to get the measure across the finish line. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Illinois Manufacturers' Association also support the proposal.
Still, Senate Republicans oppose the plan because they believe records should be unsealed for the public to know someone's criminal history.
"There are obvious issues here with public safety," said Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield). "There are obviously issues here that should have been left in our laws that are taken out that would've helped to rehabilitate people."
House Bill 1836 passed out of the Senate on a partisan 39-17 vote. It now moves to the House for further consideration Thursday.
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