House’s passage of OWI expungement continues bipartisan support for smart justice reforms

For Immediate Release
March 10, 2021

Contact:
Alex Rossman
arossman@mlpp.org
517-775-9053

LANSING—The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following statement on the Michigan House’s passage today of House Bills 4219 and 4220, legislation that would allow residents to have first-time operating while intoxicated offenses expunged five years after their monitoring by the justice system ends. The statement can be attributed to League President and CEO Gilda Z. Jacobs.

“The need and reasoning for this reform are very much in line with many of the sweeping, justice reforms the League supported—and the Legislature passed—last session. Thankfully, the bipartisan support is continuing in the same fashion with today’s vote. These bills allow the hundreds of thousands of Michiganders with one OWI offense to move on. A one-time mistake will no longer hinder these folks’ future earnings, stability and well-being, and the legislation still includes safeguards to address more serious or habitual offenses. Policymakers have been working hard to make sure the state’s punishments are commensurate with the offenses, and this is another effort to cease creating perpetual harm based on a one-time lapse in judgment.”

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The Michigan League for Public Policy, www.mlpp.org, is a nonprofit policy institute focused on economic opportunity for all. It is the only state-level organization that addresses poverty in a comprehensive way.

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