HB-5493, As Passed House, December 2, 2004

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 5493

                                                                             A bill to amend 1965 PA 213, entitled                                             

"An act to provide for setting aside the conviction in certain              

criminal cases; to provide for the effect of such action; to                

provide for the retention of certain nonpublic records and their            

use; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain public                   

agencies and officers; and to prescribe penalties,"                         

by amending section 1 (MCL 780.621), as amended by 2002 PA 472;             

and to repeal acts and parts of acts.                                       

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 1.  (1) Except as provided in  subsection (2)

2   subsections (2) and (10), a person who is convicted of not more             

3   than 1 felony offense and no other offenses or not more than 2              

4   misdemeanor offenses may file an application with the convicting            

5   court for the entry of an order setting aside  the conviction

6   either the felony offense or 1 or both of the misdemeanor                   

7   offenses.                                                                   

8       (2) A person shall not apply to have set aside, and a judge                 

1   shall not set aside, a conviction for  a any of the following:             

2       (a) A felony for which the maximum punishment is life                       

3   imprisonment or an attempt to commit a felony for which the                 

4   maximum punishment is life imprisonment.  , a

5   (b) A conviction for a violation or attempted violation of                  

6   section 520c, 520d, or 520g of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA             

7   328, MCL 750.520c, 750.520d, and 750.520g.  , or a

8   (c) A conviction for a traffic offense.                                     

9       (3) An application shall  not only be filed  until at least

10  according to the following time limitations:                                

11      (a) Not less than 5 years following  imposition of the                      

12  sentence the successful completion of probation or parole                  

13  imposed for  the a felony conviction that the applicant seeks to           

14  set aside or not less than 5 years following completion of any              

15  term of imprisonment for that conviction, whichever occurs                  

16  later.                                                                      

17  (b) Not less than 2 years following the successful completion               

18  of probation imposed for a misdemeanor conviction that the                  

19  applicant seeks to set aside or not less than 2 years following             

20  completion of any term of imprisonment for that conviction,                 

21  whichever occurs later.

22      (4) The application is invalid unless it contains the                       

23  following information and is signed under oath by the person                

24  whose conviction is to be set aside:                                        

25      (a) The full name and current address of the applicant.                     

26      (b) A certified record of  the each conviction that is to be               

27  set aside.                                                                  

1       (c) A statement that the applicant has not been convicted of                

2   an offense other than the  one conviction or convictions sought            

3   to be set aside as a result of this application.                            

4       (d) A statement as to whether the applicant has previously                  

5   filed an application to set aside this conviction or convictions

6   or any other conviction and, if so, the disposition of the                  

7   application.                                                                

8       (e) A statement as to whether the applicant has any other                   

9   criminal charge pending against him or her in any court in the              

10  United States or in any other country.                                      

11      (f) A consent to the use of the nonpublic record created                    

12  under section 3 to the extent authorized by section 3.                      

13      (5) The applicant shall submit a copy of the application and                

14  2 complete sets 1 complete set of fingerprints to the                     

15  department of state police.  The department of state police shall           

16  compare those fingerprints with the records of the department,              

17  including the nonpublic record created under section 3, and shall           

18  forward  a an electronic copy of the complete set of                       

19  fingerprints to the federal bureau of investigation for a                   

20  comparison with the records available to that agency.  The                  

21  department of state police shall report to the court in which the           

22  application is filed the information contained in the                       

23  department's records with respect to any pending charges against            

24  the applicant, any record of conviction of the applicant, and the           

25  setting aside of any conviction of the applicant and shall report           

26  to the court any similar information obtained from the federal              

27  bureau of investigation.  The court shall not act upon the                  

1   application until the department of state police reports the                

2   information required by this subsection to the court.                       

3       (6) The copy of the application submitted to the department                 

4   of state police under subsection (5) shall be accompanied by a              

5   fee of $50.00 payable to the state of Michigan  which that shall           

6   be used by the department of state police to defray the expenses            

7   incurred in processing the application.                                     

8       (7) A copy of the application shall be served upon the                      

9   attorney general and upon the office of the prosecuting attorney            

10  who prosecuted the crime, and an opportunity shall be given to              

11  the attorney general and to the prosecuting attorney to contest             

12  the application.  If  the a conviction was for an assaultive               

13  crime or a serious misdemeanor, the prosecuting attorney shall              

14  notify the victim of the assaultive crime or serious misdemeanor            

15  of the application pursuant to section 22a or 77a of the crime              

16  victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.772a and 780.827a.  The            

17  notice shall be by first-class mail to the victim's last known              

18  address.  The victim has the right to appear at any proceeding              

19  under this act concerning that conviction and to make a written             

20  or oral statement.                                                          

21      (8) Upon the hearing of the application the court may require               

22  the filing of affidavits and the taking of proofs as it considers           

23  proper.                                                                     

24      (9) If the court determines that the circumstances and                      

25  behavior of the applicant from the date of the applicant's                  

26  conviction or convictions to the filing of the application                  

27  warrant setting aside the conviction or convictions and that                

1   setting aside the conviction or convictions is consistent with              

2   the public welfare, the court may enter an order setting aside              

3   the conviction or convictions.  The setting aside of a conviction           

4   or convictions under this act is a privilege and conditional and            

5   is not a right.                                                             

6   (10) A person who is convicted of more than 1 misdemeanor for               

7   any of the following shall not apply to set aside a conviction              

8   for, and a judge shall not set aside more than 1 misdemeanor                

9   conviction for, violating or attempting to violate any of the               

10  following:                                                                  

11      (a) A crime in which the victim was a spouse, a former                      

12  spouse, an individual with whom he or she has had a child in                

13  common, an individual with whom he or she has or has had a dating           

14  relationship, or an individual residing or having resided in the            

15  same household.                                                             

16      (b) Section 81, 81a, 8lc, 90b, 136b, or 411h(2)(a) of the                   

17  Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.81, 750.81a, 750.81c,             

18  750.90b, 750.136b, and 750.411h.

19  (11)  (10)  As used in this section:                                        

20      (a) "Assaultive crime" means that term as defined in section                

21  9a of chapter X of the code of criminal procedure, 1927 PA 175,             

22  MCL 770.9a.                                                                 

23  (b) "Dating relationship" means that term as defined in                     

24  section 2950 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236,            

25  MCL 600.2950.

26  (c) "Felony" means a violation of a penal law of this state                 

27  that is punishable by imprisonment for more than 1 year or is               

1   expressly designated by law to be a felony.                                 

2       (d) "Misdemeanor" means a violation of a penal law of this                  

3   state that is not a felony or a violation of an order, rule, or             

4   regulation of a state agency that is punishable by imprisonment             

5   for not more than 1 year or a fine that is not a civil fine, or             

6   both.

7   (e)  (b)  "Serious misdemeanor" means that term as defined in               

8   section 61 of the crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL                

9   780.811.                                                                    

10  (f)  (c)  "Victim" means that term as defined in section 2 of               

11  the crime victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.752.                     

12      Enacting section 1.  Section 4 of 1965 PA 213, MCL 780.624,                 

13  is repealed.