By Mike Kruzman /news@whmi.com

Livingston County residents that have been convicted of misdemeanors and felonies now have an opportunity to clear their record.

New expungement laws are coming and the state Attorney General’s office has set up a webpage to help residents. The website contains information on the new laws, when they go into effect, eligibility requirements, forms, and downloadable checklists. As of this past weekend, people convicted of one or more misdemeanor or local marijuana crimes may petition the convicting court to set aside the convictions if they were based on activity that would not have been a crime after December 6, 2018. That is when the voter-passed initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use went into effect.

Also, a person convicted of one or more criminal offenses, including up to 3 felonies, may also file for expungement. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, in a release, that the new laws bring about overdue change for residents who would otherwise have to carry around the burden of a public criminal record past the point of having paid their debt to society. While there are a number of steps involved in requesting an expungement, the Department of the Attorney General encourages residents not to be deterred.

Additional phases to the expungement assistance initiative will continue to be provided, with the most up-to-date information available via the webpage.

An email is also set up for people with questions; AG-expungements@michigan.gov