“OUR ECONOMY DEPENDS ON IT, OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM DEPENDS ON IT, OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT.”

 Bipartisan Lawmakers Push for Second Chance Legislation: Clean Slate and Fresh Start Acts

 Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Representatives Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) and David Trone (D-MD) Were Joined by Impacted People, National Advocates, and Leaders from the Business Community

 Recording HERE, Participants Available for Interviews

Washington, DC - Yesterday, Democratic and Republican lawmakers joined a virtual event on the importance of second chance legislation pending in Congress—the Clean Slate and Fresh Start Acts. These bills would expand automated record sealing at the federal and state levels, giving individuals who have served their time and remained crime-free better access to employment, education, and housing. 

The Clean Slate Act would

• Create the first-ever avenue at the federal level for record sealing;

• Establish a process for automated record sealing for arrests, acquittals, and certain low-level convictions; and

• Further, expand opportunities for sealing for more individuals under a petition process that would be reviewed and approved by a court.

The Fresh Start Act would

• Establish a federal grant program that states could access for implementing their record sealing processes, and

• Authorize $50 million for states for the next five fiscal years.

Yesterday’s event also included people whose lives would be directly impacted by these reforms and advocates who attested to the life-changing effects second chances can have on individuals and communities across the country. 

An event recording is available here, and all participants are available for interviews. 

Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Delaware

“As the former Secretary of Labor in Delaware, I understand all too well the barriers to employment that formerly incarcerated individuals face. At a time when people are looking for individuals who can work jobs across our country, Clean Slate couldn’t be more important. We can and we will pass it on the federal level because our economy depends on it, our justice system depends on it and our future depends on it.”

Representative Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pennsylvania

 “From my time as a defense attorney and as a district judge in Pennsylvania, I saw first-hand, up-close-and-personal what a stigma a criminal record has on somebody and how that impacts the ability to reenter society once debts are paid to society. It’s everything—employment, education, where one wants to live. We need to pass this legislation so those individuals can have the chance to fully partake in the economy and also reduce recidivism rates.”

 Representative David Trone, D-Maryland

 “This is an economic issue. We have a tremendous worker shortage right here in America. We have two job openings for every applicant that wants a job. … One in three Americans have a past arrest or conviction record. They can’t find employment. They can’t further their education. They can’t secure housing. … The cost in earnings, income, the wages of these individuals, if we got them back into the workforce, would be $370 billion annually. As a business owner, that’s frustrating. As a Congressman, it’s unacceptable.”

Representative Kelly Armstrong, R-North Dakota

“I haven’t practiced criminal defense law for almost a decade. The single biggest call I get from former clients is, ‘I can’t get a job because I had a misdemeanor marijuana charge from when I was 19 years old.’ That shouldn’t happen. When you’re effectively developing criminal justice, you’re doing it in a way where you can hold people accountable, do rehabilitation and show grace.”

Senator Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania

 “These measures are bipartisan, common-sense solutions that will remove barriers to employment and invest in our nation’s future. As states across the nation follow Pennsylvania’s lead in enacting Clean Slate laws, it’s time for Congress to do its part and establish automatic sealing at the federal level.”

Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland

“Together, these two key measures can help Americans better pursue opportunities after they’ve come into contact with the criminal justice system. An arrest or a conviction should not mean you’re permanently prevented from working toward a better life in the United States of America. And providing Americans with a fresh start is key to ensuring they can rebuild their lives and contribute to our communities and our country in a positive way.”

 Inimai Chettiar, Federal Director, Justice Action Network 

“When individuals enter the criminal justice system, we often neglect the acknowledge the severe collateral consequences that a criminal record, even an arrest record, can have on a person’s life and ability to stay law-abiding. As many as 1 in 3 adults in this country have a criminal record that can severely hamper their ability to get employment, education, housing, loans, and much more.” 

Sheena Meade, Executive Director, Clean Slate Initiative

“One mistake should not wipe out all opportunities for people do to better in the future. Yet still today, millions of people with a record cannot get a fair chance to better their lives, provide for their families, and contribute to their communities because they have a record. While this problem we face is enormous, there is a path forward. Passing the Clean Slate and the Fresh Start Acts would benefit everyone – people with records, employers trying to expand their workforce, and taxpayers concerned about public safety.”

Destiny Garcia, Executive Director, Clean Slate Utah

“My life before expungement was government assistance. I relied on the government to pay for my housing, to pay my food stamps, and financial aid. Today, I have transitioned off of all government assistance, I am a first-time home-owner and the Executive Director of Clean Slate Utah. I am changing and breaking generational curses.

Jeremiah Mosteller, Senior Policy Analyst, Americans for Prosperity

 We agree accountability is an essential component of justice. But when someone has fulfilled the debt they owe to our community, we must incentivize them to become productive citizens in their communities and avoid future criminal behavior.

Ames Grawert, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice

“People who have been to prison may earn as much as 50% less than they might have earned but for their prison record, and people with a misdemeanor conviction, such as shoplifting, may see their earnings shrink as much as 15% year-over-year. Over a lifetime, this adds up to not a few thousand dollars but hundreds of thousands of dollars unearned. Far too many Americans today live paycheck to paycheck, which means that these lost earnings can make all the difference on a tight budget. Tragically, they can even make the difference between poverty and stability, or escapable and inescapable intergenerational poverty.”

Nan Gibson, Executive Director, JPMorgan Chase Policy Center

“We believe that after fulfilling their justice system obligations, people with records should be able to fully participate in the economy and their community by giving them a second chance. The drag on the earning potential of millions of Americans are costs not only borne by individuals, their families, and their communities but also have larger economic consequences for business and society.”