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Christie Wants Expungement Bill To Help Ex-Offenders

Governor Christie delivers keynote speech at Employment Opportunity Summit in Trenton
Phil Gregory

Governor Christie says he wants to work with New Jersey lawmakers to help former offenders erase their criminal records.

Christie says he'd like an expungement measure to be approved by the end of June.

"I am open to doing this and doing it in a right and smart way. Now we have to find the right standard by which to institute expungement."

Senator Sandra Cunningham has a proposal she wants to discuss with the governor.

"I'd like to see if a person has not created a problem, had any problem with the law, in 10 years or more, I think that their record should be expunged automatically."

Cunningham says many get into trouble when they're young, and 10 years makes a difference in being able to turn their lives around.

Christie would like legislation to be passed by the June 30th end of the current budget year.

That's something Merchantville resident Gary Meyer wants to happen.

He says he hasn't gotten into trouble since he was convicted of a drug offense in 1992, but not being able to expunge his criminal record is hurting his employment opportunities.

"I graduated in the top 5 percent of my class at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. I speak four languages, I do own a technology company, and I'm precluded from getting any kind of professional licensing at this point. I can't even be a cashier at the CVS."