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Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama HB 535 Authorizes Expungement of Pardoned and Overturned Convictions and Sets Hearing Rules
Last action · March 11, 2026: Re-referred to Committee in House of OriginSponsor: Travis Hendrix
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What This Bill Would Do
Alabama lawmakers are advancing HB 535 to permit the of certain pardoned, vacated, or overturned misdemeanor and felony convictions, establish administrative filing fees, and set mandatory hearing procedures in circuit court effective October 1, 2026.
People seeking to clear past criminal records face new pathways for overturned or pardoned offenses alongside a mandatory $500 administrative filing fee distributed across various state funds, with fee waivers available for individuals who qualify for .
- Alabama law governs the expungement of criminal records through specific statutory chapters in the Code of Alabama 1975. context
- The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles holds constitutional and statutory authority to grant pardons and restore civil and political rights to convicted individuals. 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.
Individuals with pardoned or overturned convictions
Individuals are granted the legal right to petition circuit courts to expunge records relating to specific pardoned, vacated, or reversed convictions subject to statutory conditions.
Circuit court clerks and judges
Circuit courts receive exclusive jurisdiction over petitions, manage fee collections, schedule mandatory hearings upon objections, and evaluate petitions based on statutory factors.
Crime victims and prosecuting authorities
Prosecutors and victims are given the right to file objections to expungement petitions, triggering mandatory hearing requirements before the court rules on the merits.
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
Can someone with a felony conviction apply for an expungement under this bill?
What happens if a prosecutor or victim objects to an expungement petition?
Is there a fee to file an expungement petition, and can it be waived?
What else do you want to know?
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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
5 actions- Mar 11, 2026HouseCommitteeRe-referred to Committee in House of Origin
- Mar 11, 2026HouseRead for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
- Mar 11, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Out of Committee House of Origin
- Mar 3, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Mar 3, 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 to Pardoned Convictions
The legislation broadens Alabama's expungement framework to explicitly cover convictions that have been reversed by appellate courts or granted a certificate of pardon with restoration of civil and political rights.
Connected Entities
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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