Bill cracking down on mugshot sites given final OK

A bill that would bar anyone from charging a fee to have a mugshot removed from a website if the person arrested is not convicted is headed to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk.

House Bill 150, sponsored by Rep. Roger Bruce, D-Atlanta, received final passage Thursday.

The bill targets websites that access law enforcement sites to collect mugshots of people arrested for various crimes. These sites sometimes charge huge sums to remove a person’s photograph. The bill makes it illegal to charge for that removal if the person arrested is found not guilty, if the charges are dropped or in other instances.