---
type: "Bill"
title: "An act relating to expanding access to expungement and sealing of criminal history records"
description: "An act relating to expanding access to expungement and sealing of criminal history records"
jurisdiction: "us/states/vt"
legislature: "Vermont General Assembly"
session: "2021-2022"
identifier: "S 7"
citation: "Vermont S 7 (2021-2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Richard Sears"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 29
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2021-01-12"
last_action: "2021-05-21"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2b551cbc-e4e1-4056-b7c4-e1e13e59648f"
source_url: "http://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/loadBillDetailedStatus/2022/171"
source_hash: "237bdd0a1ffddf2c1e1f9000bf5325ab6b231c99ec0f1b1e73862b01eb4cd8a3"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-vt"]
---

# Vermont S 7 (2021-2022) — An act relating to expanding access to expungement and sealing of criminal history records

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **As Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/BILLS/S-0007/S-0007%20As%20Introduced.pdf)
2. **Act Summary** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/ACTS/ACT058/ACT058%20Act%20Summary.pdf)
3. **As Enacted** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/ACTS/ACT058/ACT058%20As%20Enacted.pdf)
4. **Official** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/BILLS/S-0007/S-0007%20As%20passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Official.pdf)
5. **Unofficial** (committee substitute) — [source](https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/BILLS/S-0007/S-0007%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf)

## Votes

- Read 3rd time & passed on roll call, requested by Senator Sears, Passed -- Needed 15 of 30 to Pass -- Yeas = 30, Nays = 0 — **30–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Richard Sears — primary (person)
- Jeanette White — cosponsor (person)
- Joseph Benning — cosponsor (person)
- Philip Baruth — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-01-12** Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2021-03-11** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2021-03-11** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2021-03-12** New Business/Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2021-03-12** Favorable report with recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2021-03-12** Read 2nd time, reported favorably with recommendation of amendment by Senator Benning for Committee on Judiciary `committee-passage-favorable, reading-2`
- **2021-03-12** Recommendation of amendment by Committee on Judiciary agreed to
- **2021-03-12** 3rd reading ordered
- **2021-03-16** New Business/Third Reading `reading-3`
- **2021-03-16** Read 3rd time & passed on roll call, requested by Senator Sears, Passed -- Needed 15 of 30 to Pass -- Yeas = 30, Nays = 0 `reading-3`
- **2021-03-18** Read First Time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary `introduction`
- **2021-05-18** Read Second time `reading-2`
- **2021-05-18** Rep. Colburn of Burlington reported for the Committee on Judiciary
- **2021-05-18** Report of Committee on Judiciary agreed to
- **2021-05-18** Third Reading ordered `reading-3`
- **2021-05-19** Read Third time and passed in concurrence with proposal of amendment `amendment-introduction, reading-3`
- **2021-05-19** Rules suspended and bill messaged forthwith to the Senate as moved by Rep. McCoy of Poultney
- **2021-05-19** House message: House passed bill in concurrence with proposal(s) of amendment
- **2021-05-20** Entered on Notice Calendar
- **2021-05-20** House Proposal of Amendment `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-05-20** Rules suspended & taken up for immediate consideration, on motion of Senator Balint
- **2021-05-20** House proposal of amendment; text `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-05-20** House proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-05-20** As passed by Senate and House `passage`
- **2021-05-20** Rules suspended & ordered delivered to Governor forthwith, on motion of Senator Balint `executive-receipt`
- **2021-05-20** Senate Message, House proposal of amendment concurred in `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-05-21** Delivered to Governor on June 1, 2021 `executive-receipt`
- **2021-05-21** Signed by Governor on June 7, 2021 `executive-signature`
- **2021-05-21** Senate Message, signed by Governor June 7, 2021 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/2b551cbc-e4e1-4056-b7c4-e1e13e59648f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Vermont legislature records).