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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky HB 373 permits human trafficking victims to vacate convictions and expunge records
Last action · January 22, 2026: to Judiciary (H)Sponsor: Chad Aull
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky HB 373 allows individuals charged with or convicted of non-violent crimes committed as a result of being victims of human trafficking to petition courts to vacate judgments, dismiss charges with prejudice, and all related records retroactively.
Qualifying individuals gain the legal ability to clear their criminal records, seal court files, restore voting rights upon vacating a felony conviction, and legally deny the existence of the record on employment or credit applications.
- The Kentucky General Assembly is the state legislature responsible for enacting and amending state statutes. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Victims of human trafficking
Individuals charged or convicted of non-violent offenses can petition to vacate judgments, expunge records, dismiss charges, and have voting rights restored.
Commonwealth's and county attorneys
Prosecuting offices must file a response to petitions for relief within twenty-one days of being served notice.
Circuit Court clerks
Clerks must serve notices of filing to prosecuting offices, seal requested records immediately, and manage file procedures.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can a petition for relief be filed?
Do I need official documentation to prove I was a human trafficking victim?
Do I have to disclose an expunged record on a job application?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 22, 2026HouseCommitteeto Judiciary (H)
- Jan 14, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Retroactive Relief for Trafficking Victims
The bill explicitly makes its provisions retroactive, removing previous statutory waiting periods and procedural hurdles for past convictions.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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