South Carolina General Assembly
120th Session, 2013-2014

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Bill 3184

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ADOPTED

June 4, 2013

H. 3184

Introduced by Reps. Pope, R.L. Brown, M.S. McLeod, Weeks, Bales, Gilliard, Whipper, W.J. McLeod and Mitchell

S. Printed 6/4/13--S.

Read the first time February 26, 2013.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 22-5-910, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR EXPUNGEMENT OF A FIRST OFFENSE CRIME WHICH CARRIES A FINE OF ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS RATHER THAN FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 22-5-910 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 36 of 2009, is further amended to read:

"Section 22-5-910.    (A)    Following a first offense conviction for a crime carrying a penalty of not more than thirty days imprisonment or a fine of five hundred one thousand dollars, or both, the defendant after three years from the date of the conviction, including a conviction in magistrates or general sessions court, may apply, or cause someone acting on his behalf to apply, to the circuit court for an order expunging the records of the arrest and conviction. However, this section does not apply to:

(1)    an offense involving the operation of a motor vehicle;

(2)    a violation of Title 50 or the regulations promulgated pursuant to Title 50 for which points are assessed, suspension provided for, or enhanced penalties for subsequent offenses are authorized; or

(3)    an offense contained in Chapter 25, Title 16, except first offense criminal domestic violence as contained in Section 16-25-20, which may be expunged five years from the date of the conviction.

(B)    If the defendant has had no other conviction during the three-year period, or during the five-year period as provided in subsection (A)(3), following the first offense conviction for a crime carrying a penalty of not more than thirty days imprisonment or a fine of not more than five hundred one thousand dollars, or both, including a conviction in magistrates or general sessions court, the circuit court may issue an order expunging the records. No person may have his records expunged under this section more than once. A person may have his record expunged even though the conviction occurred prior to June 1, 1992.

(C)    After the expungement, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is required to keep a nonpublic record of the offense and the date of the expungement to ensure that no person takes advantage of the rights of this section more than once. This nonpublic record is not subject to release under pursuant to Section 34-11-95, the Freedom of Information Act, or any other provision of law except to those authorized law or court officials who need to know this information in order to prevent the rights afforded by this section from being taken advantage of more than once.

(D)    As used in this section, 'conviction' includes a guilty plea, a plea of nolo contendere, or the forfeiting of bail."

SECTION    2.    Section 17-1-40 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 17-1-40.    (A)(1)    A person who after being charged with a criminal offense and the charge is discharged, proceedings against the person are dismissed, or the person is found not guilty of the charge, the arrest and booking record, files, mug shots, and fingerprints of the person must be destroyed and no evidence of the record pertaining to the charge may be retained by any municipal, county, or state law enforcement agency. Provided, however, that local and state detention and correctional facilities may retain booking records, identifying documentation and materials, and other institutional reports and files under seal, on all persons who have been processed, detained, or incarcerated, for a period not to exceed three years from the date of the expungement order to manage their statistical and professional information needs and, where necessary, to defend such facilities during litigation proceedings except when an action, complaint, or inquiry has been initiated. Information retained by a local or state detention or correctional facility as permitted under this section after an expungement order has been issued is not a public document and is exempt from disclosure. Such information only may be disclosed by judicial order, pursuant to a subpoena filed in a civil action, or as needed during litigation proceedings. A person who otherwise intentionally retains the arrest and booking record, files, mug shots, fingerprints, or any evidence of the record pertaining to a charge discharged or dismissed pursuant to this section is guilty of contempt of court.

(2)    If a person has been issued a courtesy summons pursuant to Section 22-3-330 or another provision of law and the charge for which the courtesy summons was issued is discharged, proceedings against the person are dismissed, or the person is found not guilty of the charge, the arrest and booking record, files, mug shots, and fingerprints of the person must be destroyed and no evidence of the record pertaining to the charge may be retained by any municipal, county, or state law enforcement agency in accordance with the provisions of item (1).

In addition, a person who violates the provisions of this item is subject to the same penalty as provided in item (1).

(B)    A municipal, county, or state agency may not collect a fee for the destruction of records pursuant to the provisions of this section.

(C)    This section does not apply to a person who is charged with a violation of Title 50, Title 56, an enactment pursuant to the authority of counties and municipalities provided in Titles 4 and 5, or any other state criminal offense if the person is not fingerprinted for the violation.

(D)    If a charge enumerated in subsection (C) is discharged, proceedings against the person are dismissed, or the person is found not guilty of the charge, the charge must be removed from any Internet-based public record no later than thirty days from the disposition date.

(E)    The State Law Enforcement Division is authorized to promulgate regulations that allow for the electronic transmission of information pursuant to this section."

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on June 4, 2013 at 6:44 PM