The Louisiana Senate has approved a bill to streamline expungements for people with first-time marijuana possession convictions, sending it to the governor’s desk.
The House first cleared the legislation from Rep. Delisha Boyd (D) last month, and it then moved through committee in the Senate before passing on the floor in a 32-7 vote on Monday.
The measure makes it so people who are convicted of possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis as a first offense can petition the courts to wipe their record after 90 days from the time of the conviction.
That would significantly speed up the timeline for relief, as current law maintains that people must wait at least five years before petitioning for expungement of certain records.
The bill was previously amended in a House committee to specify that eligible misdemeanor marijuana possession cases cannot involve more than 14 grams. An original provision was also removed that would have waived court processing fees for first-time cannabis expungements.
Now the measure sets a $300 cap on fees for the record clearing.
“The clerk shall immediately direct the collected processing fees provided…to the sheriff and the district attorney, and the processing fee amount shall be remitted immediately upon receipt
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