SB14 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Expungement, to expand the expungement of criminal records to include convictions of certain misdemenor offenses, traffic violations, municipal ordinances, and felony offenses, to increase the filing fee for expungements, Secs. 15-27-1, 15-27-2, 15-27-4, 15-27-5, 15-27-7 to 15-27-10, inclusive, 15-27-19 am'd.

Summary

SB 14 would expand expungement to more types of convictions, raise the filing fee, and update how expunged records are handled and stored.

What This Bill Does

It allows expungement petitions for convictions of certain misdemeanors, traffic violations, municipal ordinances, and felonies. It also creates an administrative filing fee paid at filing (with specified distribution to various funds and offices) and provides hardship options if the petitioner is indigent. The bill adds Pardons-based expungement paths for some cases and establishes strict record-keeping rules to archive and restrict access to expunged records.

Who It Affects

• Individuals convicted of certain misdemeanors, traffic violations, municipal ordinance violations, or felonies who seek to expunge those records.
• Criminal justice system actors and local government entities, including circuit courts, district attorneys, the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, the Department of Forensic Sciences, clerks of court, and law enforcement, due to new filing fees, record-keeping requirements, and handling of expunged records.

Key Provisions

• Expands expungement eligibility to include convictions for certain misdemeanor offenses, traffic violations, municipal ordinances, and felony offenses.
• Imposes an administrative filing fee for expungement petitions (listed as $300, with a bracketed reference to $500) payable at filing; specifies how the fee is distributed to multiple funds and offices and allows indigent petitioners to request a payment plan; docket fees may be waived only in limited circumstances.
• Establishes criteria for expungement, including time-based conditions after dismissal, not guilty verdicts, or nolle prossequi; includes a provision allowing expungement for trafficking victims and, for certain offenses, expungement after pardons with restored civil rights if specific conditions are met.
• Requires expunged records to be archived by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center and restricted in use and access; expunged records may not be shared with interstate databases and are available only to relevant criminal justice agencies for investigations.
• Includes non-substantive technical revisions to update code language and notes that the bill is exempt from certain local-funds expenditure requirements under Amendment 621 due to its nature of amending crime definitions.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Expungement