House Bill No. 2235, introduced by Munson, seeks to amend Oklahoma's laws regarding wrongful convictions and expungement procedures. The bill streamlines the expungement process by allowing hearings to be scheduled within 30 days of filing, with a notice requirement of at least 10 days to relevant agencies. It establishes an automatic expungement process for eligible arrest records, detailing the roles of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the courts. Additionally, the bill addresses the sealing of records, the rights of individuals to petition for unsealing, and the impact of expungement on employment and educational applications.

The bill also revises the Governmental Tort Claims Act, increasing the liability amount for wrongful incarceration claims from $175,000 to a formula of $50,000 multiplied by the years served in prison. It introduces supplemental compensation for those who served time on death row or were released on parole, and allows claimants to access group health benefit plan coverage through the Department of Corrections. Furthermore, it mandates the Legislature to appropriate funds for these changes and outlines the effective dates for the new provisions. The bill also includes a waiver of tuition and fees for wrongfully incarcerated individuals and their children within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, effective July 1, 2025, with an emergency clause for immediate implementation upon passage and approval.

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