An Act To Provide for Annulment of Certain Arrest Records and Expungement of Certain Confidential Criminal History Record Information
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0573
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: DeCHANT, BECK, FOWLE
Amends: 16 MRSA §711

Legislative Document 
No. 573 
H.P. 397 
House of Representatives, February 26, 2015 
An Act To Provide for Annulment of Certain Arrest Records and 
Expungement of Certain Confidential Criminal History Record 
Information 
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative DeCHANT of Bath. 
Cosponsored by Representatives: BECK of Waterville, FOWLE of Vassalboro, McCREIGHT 
of Harpswell. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  16 MRSA §711 is enacted to read: 
§711.  Annulment of arrest record; expungement of confidential criminal history 
record information 
The Department of Public Safety, State Bureau of Identification shall establish a 
process for the annulment of the arrest record and expungement of confidential criminal 
history record information, referred to in this section as "information," pertaining to the 
arrest of a person whose information is described as confidential under section 703, 
subsection 2, paragraphs A to H.  The process must provide for annulment of the arrest 
record and expungement of the information upon application by or on behalf of a person 
to whom the information pertains.  The process must provide notice to all persons who 
are included in the information as victims and to all law enforcement agencies that are 
included in the information.  The process must provide for a decision in favor of 
annulment of the arrest record and expungement of the information by the commanding 
officer of the State Bureau of Identification upon a finding that annulment of the arrest 
record and expungement of the information is in the best interests of the person to whom 
the information pertains and is not detrimental to the public interest or to the protection of 
society.  The State Bureau of Identification shall adopt rules to implement this section.  
Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
SUMMARY 
This bill directs the Department of Public Safety, State Bureau of Identification to 
establish a process for the annulment of a person's arrest record and expungement of the 
person's confidential criminal history record information.  The process must apply to 
certain arrests and information that is described as confidential under the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 16, section 703, subsection 2, paragraphs A to H.  The bill requires the 
process to include notice to all persons who are included in the information as victims 
and to all law enforcement agencies that are included in the information.  The bill 
requires the process to include a decision in favor of annulment of the arrest record and 
expungement of the information by the commanding officer of the State Bureau of 
Identification upon a finding that annulment of the arrest record and expungement of the 
information is in the best interests of the person to whom the information pertains and is 
not detrimental to the public interest or to the protection of society.  The bill directs the 
State Bureau of Identification to adopt routine technical rules to implement the law.