Senate sustains Noem's veto on bill to expunge old pot charges from background checks

Source: Sioux Falls Argus-Leader

Senate sustains Noem's veto on bill to expunge old pot charges from background checks

Joe Sneve
Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Published 12:35 p.m. CT March 28, 2022 | Updated 12:37 p.m. CT March 28, 2022

PIERRE — The South Dakota Legislature this week came up short of overriding Gov. Kristi Noem's veto of a measure that would have automatically removed old pot violations from criminal background checks.

The Senate kicked off this year's Veto Day by sustaining the governor's veto of Senate Bill 151, which had narrowly cleared both Legislative chambers and failed to earn a two-thirds vote of support again Monday.

The bill would have required courts to expunge simple possession marijuana charges, arrests and convictions from someone's public record if the infraction happened more than five years ago, all sentences and penalties have been fulfilled and there were no subsequent arrests.

Senators who supported the legislation say it would put simple marijuana charges in line with other minor offenses that atomically fall off someone's record after five years, including speeding tickets and vandalism.

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Read more: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2022/03/28/legislature-sustains-kristi-noem-veto-expunging-old-marijuana-charges-possession-senate/7171896001/