The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama lowers wait times and expands eligibility for expungement of criminal records
Last action · March 11, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the CalendarSponsor: Ontario Tillman
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
This bill reduces the mandatory waiting period from 90 days to 30 days for petitioning to expunge dismissed or not-guilty criminal charges, and permits human trafficking victims to seek expungement for certain violent offenses committed while being trafficked, effective October 1, 2026.
Residents seeking to clear past non-convictions or qualifying felony convictions face shorter waiting times and expanded pathways to remove records from public view, affecting employment and background check eligibility.
- Under prior Alabama law, individuals seeking to expunge dismissed or acquitted criminal charges were required to wait 90 days before filing a petition in circuit court. context
- Expungement allows qualifying criminal arrest and conviction records to be sealed from public view, limiting access primarily to designated criminal justice and regulatory agencies. context
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.
Defendants and convicted individuals
Individuals with dismissed charges, acquittals, or qualifying convictions face shortened waiting times and expanded legal eligibility to petition circuit courts for the expungement of their records.
Human trafficking victims
Victims are newly permitted to seek expungement for specific violent offenses committed directly as a result of being trafficked.
Circuit courts
Circuit courts retain exclusive jurisdiction over expungement petitions and must process requests under the revised timelines and criteria.
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
How long must a person wait to request an expungement after being found not guilty?
Can human trafficking victims expunge violent crime records?
Who has access to records after they are expunged?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently on floor. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Passed.
Procedural history
5 actions- Mar 11, 2026HouseRead for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
- Mar 11, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Out of Committee House of Origin
- Mar 11, 2026HouseJudiciary 1st Substitute
- Jan 15, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Jan 15, 2026HouseIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary
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.
Expansion of Expungement for Trafficking Victims
The bill marks a notable policy shift by allowing certain violent offenses to be expunged if committed while the defendant was a victim of human trafficking.
Connected Entities
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools