Colorado House lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill requiring commercial websites to remove people’s mug shots if they were never convicted of the crime for which they were arrested.
A House committee passed the bill 9-2 on Tuesday.
“These are all innocent people," Representative KC Becker (D-Boulder), the bill's sponsor, said. "These are people who have never been found guilty of a crime and yet these mug shots are impacting their lives.”
Some websites charge people hundreds of dollars to take remove the online booking photos.
The bill requires websites remove a booking photo, for free, at a person's request, if they were never convicted, and allows them to sue if it is not removed.
The ACLU opposes the bill, saying it violates free speech protections.
States like Utah and Georgia have passed similar laws.
