House Bill 1435 Summary

• Automatically expunge criminal convictions of first-time offenders upon completion of all terms and conditions of their sentence, restoring them to their pre-arrest legal status.

• Waive all fees and costs associated with automatic expunction and require representing legal counsel to perform the service pro bono.

• Retain nonpublic records of expunged convictions solely for determining whether a person is a first offender in subsequent proceedings.

• Amend Sections 41-29-150, 99-15-57, and 99-19-71 of the Mississippi Code to implement automatic expunction for first-time offenders in drug offenses, misdemeanors, and eligible felonies.

• Take effect July 1, 2019.