An estimated 200,000 one-time drunken driving offenders can ask a judge to set aside their convictions, under the bill. A previous version of the bill secured widespread support in the legislature but was vetoed by the governor for an unknown reason.
Michigan House pushes drunken driving expungement again
ANNA LIZ NICHOLS, Associated Press/Report for America
March 10, 2021
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LANSING, Mich. (AP) The Michigan House approved a bill Wednesday that would allow an estimated 200,000 one-time drunken drivers ask a judge to set aside their convictions.
The measure now heads to the Senate. In the previous legislative session the Senate passed the legislation 32-5 and the House 96-8, but Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer without comment let it die by not signing it, even after signing a slew of “ clean slate ” legislation to create simple avenues for expungement of other convictions.
Whitmer s office has not commented on the latest effort.
Gilda Z. Jacobs
As an organization that has worked to promote economic security in Michigan since 1912, we know how pervasive and persistent poverty is. We also know that our work is most important in times of crisis.
Our organization’s role and goals really crystallized in the 1930s, in response to the Great Depression and the increased needs of our fellow Michiganders. Nearly a century later, the League’s work was also vital during the Great Recession, using research and analysis to identify the state and federal policies at the root of our economic struggles and the ones that could help get our workforce, economy, and state budget back on track.
Gilda Z. Jacobs
Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and new State Budget Director Dave Massaron released their 2022 budget proposal.
The state budget is a big area of focus for the Michigan League for Public Policy each year and a big avenue for our policy wins each year. The League has always said that the state budget is an indicator of our values, and that is truer than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its various impacts on our economy, schools, and residents.
While the state budget is still a values statement, the budget is also the blueprint for getting our state and our fellow Michiganders through this crisis. And, with that end in mind, there’s a lot to like in Gov. Whitmer’s 2022 budget for Michigan kids, parents, and workers.