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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri creates automated record expungement system and limits credit bureaus to reporting 7 years of criminal history
Last action · February 17, 2026: HCS Reported Do Pass (H)Sponsors: Marlene Terry and 2 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Beginning August 28, 2029, Missouri courts must automatically seal eligible misdemeanor and felony records without requiring individuals to file a petition. The bill also restricts credit bureaus from reporting arrests and convictions older than seven years and establishes the Missouri Expungement Fund to cover implementation costs.
Qualifying individuals with past criminal records will have their files automatically hidden from public view after waiting periods of one to three years, removing the need to pay legal fees or petition a court, while employers gain immunity from negligent-hiring lawsuits regarding expunged records.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
individuals with eligible clean slate offenses
Their qualifying criminal and municipal records will be automatically sealed after specific waiting periods without requiring them to file petitions.
prosecuting agencies
They receive monthly notices of eligible expungements and have sixty days to review records and file objections.
credit bureaus
They are restricted from reporting arrests, pending indictments, and crime convictions for longer than seven years from final disposition.
employers
They receive immunity from liability for negligent-hiring claims arising from an employee's misconduct related to an expunged criminal history.
Key Facts
- Beginning August 28, 2029, the office of state courts administrator must monthly identify and transmit all clean slate eligible offense records for automated expungement.
- Records eligible on or before August 28, 2026, must be identified and expunged by August 28, 2031.
- Suspended imposition of sentence cases and misdemeanors require one year to pass since final disposition without new offenses to qualify for automated expungement.
- Felony offenses require three years to pass since final disposition without new offenses to qualify for automated expungement.
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- Individuals aged 65 or older who have no convictions other than traffic or technical violations in the preceding ten years qualify to have all clean slate eligible offenses expunged.
- Lifetime expungement limits cap individuals at no more than two felony offenses and four misdemeanor offenses or ordinance violations with imprisonment terms.
- Juvenile adjudications and motor vehicle operation offenses are ineligible for automated expungement.
- Prosecuting agencies have sixty days from receiving notice to object to an automated expungement based on eligibility, unpaid restitution, or pending charges.
- Credit bureaus are prohibited from reporting arrests, indictments, and convictions for longer than seven years from final disposition.
- Employers hiring an individual with an expunged criminal record receive immunity from liability for claims arising from the employee's misconduct related to the expunged portion.
- The Missouri Expungement Fund is created in the state treasury to fund implementation costs, system upgrades, and staffing needs through gifts, grants, and appropriations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to file a court petition to have my record expunged under this bill?
How long must a person wait after a felony conviction before it becomes eligible for automated expungement?
Can credit bureaus report old criminal convictions indefinitely?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
10 actions- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Reported Do Pass (H)
- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Voted Do Pass (H)
- Feb 17, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Feb 10, 2026HouseAction Postponed (H)
- Feb 10, 2026HouseExecutive Session Continued
- Jan 27, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
Show 4 earlier actions
- Jan 22, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Economic Development(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 1, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (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.
Shift from Petition-Based to State-Initiated Expungement
The legislation moves Missouri from an individual petition model to an automated, state-agency-driven record sealing process.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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