DES MOINES (AP) — People would be able to get their criminal records expunged of cases in which they were acquitted or the charges were dismissed if the governor signs off on a bill that the Iowa Senate approved Thursday.
The Senate voted 42-0 for the bill, two days after the House approved it in a 96-0 vote. It now heads to Gov. Terry Branstad for review.
Current law allows such information to remain on a person’s records indefinitely. Supporters say the bill would help people applying for a job or renting a home, since those actions often require a background check.
“When you go home to your districts, if you talk about this bill, I think you’re going to be surprised about how many people come forward and thank you for voting it, thank you for making their lives a little better on a daily basis,” Rep. Mary Lynn Wolfe, D-Clinton, said before the vote Tuesday.
The Iowa Newspaper Association registered against the bill. Executive Director Chris Mudge said the group doesn’t support practices that essentially “erase history.”
The Senate already had approved the bill in March but had to vote again after the House made changes, including adding a 180-day waiting period for the records to be expunged. That change came after at least one group expressed concern about oversight in how the records would be expunged.
But there was no vocal opposition to the bill Thursday.