The House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code heard HB 1118 on expungement authored by Rep. Zimmerman. The bill repeals and replaces the existing adult expungement statute with a new expungement process that makes certain changes to: (1) time periods for filing expungement; (2) crimes that are eligible for expungement; and (3) other procedural matters relating to expungement. The bill moves juvenile expungement provisions located in the adult code to the juvenile code.
The Committee amended the bill by consent to:
- provide that a person convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon is not entitled to expungement.
- specify that a conviction for a disqualifying offense also applies to an attempt or conspiracy to commit that offense.
- prohibit a person from seeking an expungement until: (1) five years from the date the person completed their sentence; and (2) a specified time period based on the offense; whichever is later; and
- remove a requirement that prosecutors and defense attorneys obtain a court order to access expunged records.
The Indiana Public Defender Council and Strength Over Struggle, Inc. testified in support of the bill. The Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council testified but remained neutral. The amended bill passed 12-1.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2026/bills/house/1118