PHOENIX, AZ – June 25, 2024 – The Arizona Legislature has voted to approve Senate Bill 1639, an act amending Section 13-911 of the Arizona Revised Statutes relating to the sealing of criminal case records. This bill, signed by Governor Hobbs on June 22, is set to take effect on September 13, 2024. It introduces important changes to make record sealing more accessible and meaningful for individuals with criminal records.
“This legislation is important because even if an individual can’t clear everything right away, it can give hope, and keep someone motivated, to begin working toward a clean slate,” said Noella Sudbury, CEO and founder of Rasa Legal, a law firm specializing in criminal record clearance. “It is also notable that there was bipartisan support for this legislation and we’re hopeful it is the beginning of many other positive legislative changes to come.”
Key provisions of the bill include:
- Allowing individuals to seal eligible records as they become eligible, rather than waiting for all records to be eligible before anything can be cleared.
- Clarifying that individuals with multiple felony cases do not have to wait an additional five years from the latest waiting period to be eligible for sealing.
- Establishing that a previously sealed record should be considered a mitigating factor when determining eligibility for an Arizona fingerprint clearance card.
The new law aims to reduce barriers for individuals seeking stable housing and employment by allowing them to begin the process of clearing their records sooner. It also clarifies wait times for sealing felony cases, making the process more attainable for many individuals. More specifically, the Legislature clarified that the five-year penalty waiting period applies only if a person commits a new felony offense after they have gone through the sealing process.
“This legislation represents a step forward for public safety and the economy, providing more opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration for the more than two million individuals with criminal records in Arizona,” said Sudbury.
Sudbury’s company, Rasa Legal, is on a mission to make record clearance as easy and affordable as possible. Arizonans can get started by checking to see what is on their criminal record, and whether it is eligible to be expunged, sealed, set aside, or have rights restored. Rasa’s eligibility tool can tell a person their options in under three minutes and is available at Rasa-Legal.com.
The complete bill can be found at https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/56leg/2r/bills/sb1639h.pdf.
For more information, or to request an interview with Noella Sudbury, please email [email protected]. ###
About Rasa
Rasa is a legal tech company on a mission to provide simple and affordable criminal record expungement. The company developed sophisticated computer software that analyzes criminal record databases and streamlines many of the complex and time-consuming steps associated with determining eligibility for expungement. These affordable expungement services clear a path for access to housing and jobs, higher wages, and a better quality of life for those who have been held back by background checks. For more information, visit www.rasa-legal.com.
