Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a bill this week that would've allowed people to ask to have a drunk driving conviction expunged from their record.
SB1254 would have allowed a person convicted of a DUI to ask a judge to set aside the conviction. The legislation would not allow additional DUI offenses or convictions related to death or serious injuries to be expunged.
The DUI expungement bill passed both chambers of the Michigan Legislature with broad bipartisan support. The bill was also supported by top officials including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack.
The bill was opposed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Whitmer took no action on the expungement legislation by Monday, allowing it to die when a 14-day review period expired.
State Senator Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) says he doesn’t understand why the governor vetoed it.
“There are folks all over our state who’s careers are locked up,” says McBroom. “They can’t move forward. They can’t advance. They can’t pursue a better job. Because, in the end, a minor indiscretion 30 years ago that’s still on their record.”
The governor did not give a specific reason for her veto.
“The governor let several lame duck bills expire without her signature,” says spokeswoman Tiffany Brown. “The reasons vary, including a failure to negotiate the bills, disagreement on the underlying policy, or the complexity of the subject matter and the need for further discussion.”
McBroom plans on resubmitting the legislation soon.
“Hopefully as it gets picked up in committees either in the House or the Senate, the governor’s office will engage to share with us what their concerns were and why it led to a veto this past time,” he says.
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