House OKs Harper Bill to Allow Expungement of Records of State Licensees
HARRISBURG – The state’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) would be empowered to expunge the disciplinary records of licensees under legislation sponsored by Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery) and approved by the House today.
“Many practitioners with otherwise unblemished disciplinary histories have voiced concern about the impact of minor infractions remaining as a permanent part of their publicly available licensure records,” Harper said. “Even minor or technical violations can prevent a licensee from getting a job, and they can also cause needless embarrassment with clients and colleagues, even after a violation has long been corrected.”
Under
House Bill 92, all BPOA licensing boards would have the power to expunge disciplinary records of licensees for minor violations of their practice act and board regulations. Serious disciplinary infractions and repeat offenses would not be eligible for expungement under the bill.
Expungement would seal the affected record from public access and allow the licensee to represent that no record exists. However, BPOA and the licensing board or commission shall continue to maintain the record and may release it upon request from law enforcement or other governmental body as permitted by law.
A similar measure passed the House last year but was not taken up by the full Senate. House Bill 92 was approved unanimously and now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Representative Kate Harper
61st District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Rep. Harper’s Blue Bell Office
610.277.3230
KateHarper.net /
Facebook.com/RepKateHarper
kharper@pahousegop.com