Gretchen Whitmer refused to sign a bill that would have let an estimated 200,000 one-time drunken drivers ask a judge to set aside their conviction, despite the measure's broad bipartisan support in the Michigan Legislature. The Democrat took no action on the expungement legislation Monday, allowing it to die when a 14-day review period expired. Michigan currently does not allow someone to petition a court to set aside a conviction for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. In Michigan, an expungement — or set aside — clears the public record of a conviction so it does not appear in a background check. People with a DUI on their record can be greatly hampered in their careers, McBroom said, especially those who need a commercial driver's license.

Michigan would automatically expunge the criminal records of hundreds of thousands of residents under sweeping “clean slate” bills that received final legislative approval on Thursday. They would be eligible seven years after their misdemeanor sentence and, in the case of a felony, 10 years after their sentence or prison term, whichever occurred last. In Michigan, an expungement — or set aside — clears the public record of a conviction so it does not appear in a background check. Law enforcement still keeps a non-public record, but no longer have to disclose their past on job applications or other forms. “Making expungement cheaper, easier and available to more residents than ever before will remove the barriers that hold too many people back.”