Jason Delgado
A bill that would allow juveniles to expunge their arrest record after completing a diversion program cleared its final Senate committee Thursday.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to advance the bill (SB 274) without questions or debate.
Republican Sen. Keith Perry of Gainesville is the bill sponsor.
Currently, Florida allows minors to expunge their records for first-time misdemeanor arrests if they complete a diversion program. The proposal, however, would expand the provision to include felonies and arrests beyond a minor’s first offense.
The bill would also allow a juvenile who completes a diversion program to omit or deny participation in a diversion program as well as the expunction.
“Whether it is a pre-arrest or post-arrest diversion program, the goal of the program is to maximize the opportunity for success and minimize the likelihood of recidivism,” a staff analysis explains.
Notably, having an arrest on a record affects a person’s ability to find housing, get a job and join the military.
As of January, there were 26,903 minors with 64,343 juvenile felony arrest charges with or without a disposition that may qualify for juvenile diversion expunction, according to a staff analysis of the bill.
Perry’s bill now awaits full Senate consideration.
If signed into law, the bill would take effect July 1.
Meanwhile, a similar Senate bill (SB 166) also awaits full Senate consideration.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously Thursday to approve the bill without questions or debate.
Both chambers passed versions of the proposal last year, but lawmakers ran out of time to reconcile differences between the bills.
The Florida Sheriff’s Association, the Police Benevolent Association, police chiefs, prosecutors and public defenders all support the legislation.
A companion House bill (HB 93), meanwhile, is onto second reading.
Rep. David Smith of Winter Springs is the House bill sponsor.
