Tag: Law Opening

Ohio Governor Signs Senate Bill Into Law That Could Expunge Thousands With Marijuana Offenses January 19, 2023 Ohio's governor, Mike DeWine, has signed a bill introducing major criminal justice reforms into law. This new legislation will permit cities to perform mass expungements of drug-related convictions. With this bill, Ohio will join the 24 states that have enacted legislation providing pathways to set aside low-level marijuana offenses. This bill, Senate Bill 288 (SB 288), covers many issues, including changes for sealing and expungements of criminal records and sentencing reforms for imprisoned individuals. In addition, it removes limitations that Ohio previously held that did not give clemency authority to localities. With its passing, county prosecutors and city law directors may apply for expungements of low-level marijuana possession offenses. This change means that local governments within the state can provide relief to individuals with convictions for possessing up to 200 grams of marijuana. Furthermore, the bill amended a law so an individual's criminal record would not include arrests and convictions for marijuana paraphernalia. According to Governor DeWine, these offenses appearing on someone's criminal records often become a significant barrier for individuals to acquire gainful employment. Unfortunately, it proves a problem even when the records reveal they did not involve victims. Under SB 288, individuals no longer need to disclose these criminal records in situations such as searching for employment. The bill also provides a quicker path to sealing misdemeanor marijuana convictions by potentially allowing individuals to file within a year. Other provisions include permitting prison inmates to earn additional time off their sentences. They can get this extra time by participating in job training, rehabilitation programs, and increasing penalties for distracted driving and domestic violence. In addition, the bill will now expand law enforcement's ability to pull drivers over for distracted driving, such as cell phone use. This new law will take effect 90 days after getting signed into law. Local governments can begin filing to expunge low-level marijuana offenses after these 90 days. Once erased, credit reports cannot include these offenses. Therefore, in most cases, they will not appear for employment and other purposes that involve background checks. In light of these changes, working with a high-quality screening provider will prove particularly important. This partnership would ensure that criminal background checks contain only timely information and exclude sealed or expunged records. In addition, it can reduce potential liability and ensure that outdated or obsolete information does not unfairly impact decision-making. Easily verify your employment qualifications when you switch to pre-employment background checks Talk to a sales representative today Source

Tag: Law Opening

Ohio Governor Signs Senate Bill Into Law, That Could Expunge Thousands With Marijuana Offenses

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