This bill establishes new procedures and timelines for processing judicial orders of expungements in New Jersey, aiming to streamline the expungement process and reduce delays. It mandates that law enforcement and criminal justice agencies must effectuate expungement orders within 90 days, with the possibility of a 30-day extension under specific circumstances, such as discrepancies in information or the need for additional details from the petitioner. The bill also prohibits agencies from filing objections to valid expungement petitions based on certain technicalities, ensuring that the expungement process is more efficient and accessible. If an objection is filed for other reasons, the agency must refer the petitioner to the Office of the Public Defender if they do not have legal representation.

Additionally, the bill codifies the terms of a settlement agreement between the State Police and the Office of the Public Defender, which arose from a lawsuit regarding backlogs in expungement processing. It requires the Attorney General to provide annual reports to the Governor and the Legislature detailing the number of expungement orders received, as well as the number of orders pending for more than 90 and 120 days. This legislative effort is designed to ensure that expunged records are promptly removed from public access, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the criminal justice system in handling expungements.