The measure, sponsored by Republican state Representative Sheryl Delozier and Democrat State Representative Jordan Harris, received bipartisan support with a 188-2 vote in the House and a 49-0 vote in the Senate. To be eligible for Clean Slate in Pennsylvania, a person must not have any other convictions for ten years and must pay all court-ordered financial obligations. A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research estimated that in 2016 the reduction in the overall employment rate resulting from barriers faced by former prisoners and people with criminal convictions costs the United States between $78 billion and $87 billion in annual GDP. Why enact Clean Slate and make a criminal record sealing process automatic? The goal of Clean Slate in Pennsylvania was to reduce the stigma people with criminal records face while looking for jobs, education, and housing.

Act 56, formerly House Bill 1419, provides individuals with low-level, non-violent criminal records with a mechanism to have their record(s) sealed from public view. In 2018, Pennsylvania became the first state to enact a “Clean Slate” law to seal certain criminal records automatically. Some states only seal or expunge certain misdemeanors, but others, like Michigan, expanded their law to include felonies.Numerous states, like Utah and Michigan, have followed Pennsylvania’s lead.Pennsylvania was the first state to enact a “Clean Slate” law and automatically sealing certain criminal records.

Pa clean slate law