The Clean Slate Initiative Applauds Bipartisan Congressional Support for Record Clearance Bills
The Clean Slate Act and the Fresh Start Act scheduled for Markup
WASHINGTON, D.C. - At a press conference on September 12, 2022, advocates and a bipartisan group of co-sponsors highlighted the economic and community safety benefits of two commonsense criminal justice reforms advancing through Congress. The Clean Slate Act (H.R.2864) and the Fresh Start Act (H.R.5651) would, for the first time, enable people with federal arrest and conviction records to petition to clear those records and support increased access to automatic record clearance for eligible offenses at the federal and state levels.
The press conference came in advance of the bills’ markup scheduled next week in the House Judiciary Committee. More details and registration information for the press conference are included below. Videos and additional materials from the press conference will be available shortly after its conclusion at cleanslateinitiative.org/media.
Ahead of the press conference, Sheena Meade, executive director of The Clean Slate Initiative, issued the following statement:
“Congress has the opportunity to support access to meaningful employment, education, and other opportunities for millions of people in America by passing the Clean Slate Act and the Fresh Start Act. We have seen the transformational impact of Clean Slate laws on millions of working people in the states that have adopted these policies. It’s promising to see Congress building on that momentum and advancing these long overdue measures at the federal level.
“We know that 70 - 100 million people in America, one out of every three, face barriers solely because they have some kind of record. This bipartisan effort to pass Clean Slate Act and the Fresh Start Act would help get people back to work, boost local economies, and save taxpayers money in the long run. It’s time to ensure all Americans are given a fair shot at creating a better life for themselves and their families.”
Additional Information About the Clean Slate Act and the Fresh Start Act
In recent years, the bipartisan momentum for expanding access to record clearance has grown in red, blue, and purple states. To date, seven states have adopted comprehensive Clean Slate legislation, including Oklahoma and Colorado, which passed record clearance laws earlier this year. These policies are intended to ensure that the 1 in 3 American adults with records are no longer shut out from the U.S. workforce. The Clean Slate Act and the Fresh Start Act are two commonsense, bipartisan bills that would finally provide some relief to millions of Americans who often face lifelong economic barriers because of a past record.
The Clean Slate Act (H.R.2864) creates a first-ever federal process that enables individuals to petition for clearance of non-violent conviction records and establishes a streamlined system to automate sealing for eligible low-level drug records for people who have completed their sentences and remained crime-free for a period of time.
The Fresh Start Act (H.R.5651) creates a federal grant program that allows states that passed automatic sealing laws to apply for federal funds to implement those laws so that millions more people can access employment, housing, and education opportunities. Additionally, federal funds would allow states to make their record-sealing systems more efficient through automation.
These two pieces of legislation would:
● remove barriers to opportunity for millions of people currently excluded from jobs and housing because they can’t pass a background check;
● open up a new potential workforce for employers struggling to hire; and,
● save taxpayers money by reducing recidivism and dependency while streamlining a costly and burdensome state court workload.
