SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois Senate Democrats passed a monumental bill Wednesday night to automatically seal records for people convicted of nonviolent felonies .

Felony convictions currently eligible for expungement could be automatically sealed by a circuit court judge or the Illinois State Police. Sponsors believe it is past time for a streamlined process to open doors to job opportunities and allow 1.7 million Illinoisans who served time to rebuild their lives.

Serious crimes like murder, sex offenses, human trafficking, Class X felonies, DUI and domestic violence will be excluded from automatic sealing .

"This does not extend the amount of crimes that are currently able to be sealed by petition, so it allows for us to deal with the backlog of cases," said Sen. Elgie Sims

See Full Page