PA Lawmakers Send Governor Expungement Bill
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A bill now on its way to Governor Wolf's desk would expand Pennsylvania's expungement law for non-violent offenders.
The governor is expected to sign it.
Philadelphia Democrat Jordan Harris, a major backer of the legislation as it made its way through the House, thinks of it as a jobs bill:
"A person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor-3 or misdemeanor-2 that is a non-violent offense after ten years of being free from arrest, they would be able to go before a judge and get an order of limited access, which then basically seals those convictions from possible employers."
Harris believes it's unfair that people cannot get gainful employment for retail theft and other non-violent offenses committed 20 or 30 years ago.
He says people who demonstrate that they've changed their lives deserve a second chance.