NASHVILLE — The House today approved a seven-fold fee increase for Tennesseans wishing to expunge their arrest record following successful completion of a judicial diversion program.
The vote was 75-15. The Senate companion bill comes up in committee next week.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Eric Watson, R-Cleveland, said increasing the fee from $50 to $350 was necessary because of a huge influx in recent years of requests to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which handles expungement requests. There are about 28,000 annually, he said.
The bill would raise about $4.3 million, according to legislative estimates, which would go toward equipment, computer software and personnel training.
Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...
