Bipartisan Effort to Automatically Clear Misdemeanor Juvenile Records Earns National Praise

Salem, OR (June 12, 2023) - On Wednesday, June 7th, Governor Tina Kotek signed a bipartisan bill that will remove barriers for people who were involved with the justice system as a minor.

SB 519, championed by Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) and supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders and criminal justice reform organizations, builds upon the state’s 2021 youth expunction reform, expanding automated clearance of all misdemeanors and violations adjudicated in the juvenile justice system, shortening waiting periods for expungement eligibility, and eliminating court-appointed counsel fees in expunction cases. Research has shown very few people eligible to clear their juvenile records successfully do so – one study reported just four percent – due to tangled bureaucracy, prohibitive legal costs, or other obstacles.

“Juvenile records haunt Oregonians throughout their lives, holding them back from earning a good living, enrolling in college, or finding a place to live simply because of mistakes they made as a minor,” said Justice Action Network State Policy Manager Noah Bein. “Oregon’s leaders have sent a clear message that automatically expunging low-level offenses is the right thing to do for those young people, for public safety, and for Oregon’s workforce.”

SB 519 earned broad bipartisan support throughout the legislative process, including votes of 29-1 vote in the Senate and 54-6 in the House. 

Justice Action Network (JAN) supported the development of SB 519 in partnership with Oregon Youth, Rights, and Justice, the state’s principal non-profit law firm for youth and families. JAN is the nation’s largest bipartisan criminal justice reform organization working to advance evidence-based policy at both the state and federal levels.