Advocates and Bipartisan Congressional Sponsors of Key Criminal Justice Bills Speak in Advance of Markup
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
CONTACT: Dustin Chicurel-Bayard, 609-529-7145, dustin@cleanslateinitiative.org
Press Conference (Monday, September 12, 2022):
Advocates and Bipartisan Congressional Sponsors of Key Criminal Justice Bills Speak in Advance of Markup
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A bipartisan group of lawmakers and supporting organizations are holding a press conference to share information about two critical pieces of criminal justice reform legislation moving in Congress. The two bills 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 sealing for eligible offenses at the federal and state levels. The two bills have bipartisan sponsorship and are advancing through the U.S. House of Representatives committee process.
The Clean Slate Act (H.R.2864) and the Fresh Start Act (H.R.5651) are scheduled for markup in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, September 21, 2022. More information about both pieces of legislation is included below.
What: Press conference to discuss the House Judiciary Committee’s mark-up of the Clean Slate Act and the Fresh Start Act
When: Monday, September 12, 2022, at 10:30 am EST
Where: Virtual via Zoom; Registration link
Who: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D - DE)*^
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R - IN)*^
Rep. David Trone (D - MD)*
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R ND)*
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA),# via a recorded message
Sheena Meade, the Clean Slate Initiative
Destiny Garcia, Clean Slate Utah
Representatives from Americans for Prosperity, JP Morgan Chase, and the Brennan Center for Justice
* Sponsor of the Clean Slate Act (H.R.2864)
^ Sponsor of the Fresh Start Act (H.R.5651)
# Sponsor of the Clean Slate Act (S.1380)
About the Clean Slate Act and the Fresh Start Act
The bipartisan momentum for expanding access to record-sealing has grown in red, blue, and purple states in recent years 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 common-sense, 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.
###
