Senate Bill 562, better known as the Second Chance Act, allows many people with non-violent criminal pasts to have their record expunged if they've gone 10 years with no new charges, served their sentences and paid their fines.
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"We can give people who make amends for past mistakes the opportunity to clear their records. This bill offers that opportunity and a path to good jobs and a brighter future," Cooper wrote.
A person who files a petition to expunge their record must pay a $175 fee. The process cannot start until a person's sentence is complete and any restitution is paid.
The bill passed both North Carolina House and Senate unanimously with 119-0 votes and 47-0 votes respectively.
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Democrats called it a matter of economic fairness; the bill removes the burden of hiring a lawyer to get the charges removed. Republicans called it a jobs bill.