Sealed Records for Nonviolent Marijuana-Related Arrests Addressed in Bipartisan Bill

April 26, 2019 by Dan McCue
Sealed Records for Nonviolent Marijuana-Related Arrests Addressed in Bipartisan Bill

Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., are leading a bipartisan effort in the House to ensure that individuals arrested for nonviolent federal crimes stemming from marijuana possession get “a second shot at a better life.”

On Monday, the liberal Democrat and the conservative Republican re-introduced the Clean Slate Act. If passed, a bill  that would automatically seal the federal criminal records of people arrested for minor federal cannabis offenses.

The legislation is modeled on a similar law enacted in Pennsylvania in 2018. That bill allows residents with nonviolent misdemeanor convictions to have their records sealed if they have stayed on the straight and narrow for 10 years.

“If enacted, this legislation would make meaningful strides in filling the 7.1 million unfilled jobs in our country and improve the everyday lives of 100 million Americans who have past records,” Blunt Rochester said in a statement.

Reschenthaler, a member of the House Judiciary Committee who was once a district court judge, said criminal records stemming from low-level, nonviolent offenses, “can present a significant obstacle to employment, housing, and education.”

“If our goal is to reduce recidivism and improve the lives of millions of Americans, we cannot allow hardworking and reformed citizens to be defined by their worst mistakes in life,” he said.

If passed in its current form, Clean Slate Act would automatically seal an individual’s federal criminal record if they have been convicted of simple possession or any federal nonviolent offense involving marijuana; create a new procedure that allows individuals to petition the United States Courts to seal records for nonviolent offenses that are not automatically sealed; and would require, within 180 days, the automatic sealing of arrest records and other related records for individuals that have been acquitted, exonerated, or never had charges filed against them.

The bill would also authorize district courts to appoint a public defender to help indigent petitioners file and successfully seal their records, and protect employers from liability for any claim arising out of the misconduct of an employee if the misconduct relates to a sealed criminal record.

The House bill has already garnered diverse support outside the halls of Congress, and has been endorsed by groups ranging from the American Conservative Union Foundation and the Faith and Freedom Coalition to the liberal Center for American Progress.

Jason Pye, vice president of legislative affairs at FreedomWorks, a conservative and libertarian advocacy group, said in a written statement that “the Clean Slate Act offers a streamlined path forward for certain individuals who have come into contact with the criminal justice system to have their records sealed so that they may gain employment, secure a place to live, or pursue educational opportunities.

“These are simple necessities of life that one mistake may impede if we do not provide reasonable chances for a clean slate,” Pye said.

Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., is reportedly working on a Senate companion bill and is currently seeking a Republican co-sponsor.

For the full legislative text of the House bill, click here, and for a fact sheet, click here.

A+
a-
  • bipartisan
  • Marijuana
  • sealed records
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Law

    July 14, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Appeals Court Allows Defense Dept. to Override Sept. 11 Conspirators’ Deal

    WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court’s ruling Friday allows the federal government to set aside a plea bargain that would... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court’s ruling Friday allows the federal government to set aside a plea bargain that would spare conspirators in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the United States from the death penalty. The plea bargain was reached in August with Khalid Sheikh... Read More

    July 10, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Justice Dept. Whistleblower Program Offers Big Rewards for Antitrust Information 

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced a whistleblower program that would give potentially large rewards to anyone who... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced a whistleblower program that would give potentially large rewards to anyone who reports antitrust crimes. The crimes typically involve organized deception that hurts consumers, taxpayers and free market competition. Whistleblowers who provide the Justice Department with original information... Read More

    July 10, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Federal Judge Certifies Class Action in Birthright Citizenship Case

    CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship, reviving a legal standoff... Read More

    CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship, reviving a legal standoff with the White House just days after the Supreme Court blocked federal judges from using nationwide injunctions to thwart the president's policies. Ruling from the bench... Read More

    July 9, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Pediatricians Sue Kennedy Over ‘Unscientific Changes’ to Vaccine Policy

    WASHINGTON — The American Academy of Pediatrics and a half dozen other major medical groups sued Health Secretary Robert F.... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The American Academy of Pediatrics and a half dozen other major medical groups sued Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday for making “unilateral, unscientific changes to federal vaccine policy” that they contend are an “assault” on science and public health. In a... Read More

    July 8, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Gun Rights Groups Sue to Block National Firearms Act Enforcement

    WASHINGTON — A coalition of Second Amendment advocates is suing to invalidate gun ownership restrictions that were revised by the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A coalition of Second Amendment advocates is suing to invalidate gun ownership restrictions that were revised by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act President Donald Trump signed July 4. The bill removes many of the National Firearms Act taxes associated with gun ownership. The... Read More

    July 8, 2025
    by Alexa Citrin
    Trump Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Campus Activists Goes to Trial 

    BOSTON — A trial over the Trump administration’s attempts to deport international students and scholars involved in pro-Palestinian activism on... Read More

    BOSTON — A trial over the Trump administration’s attempts to deport international students and scholars involved in pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses began on Monday with the plaintiffs arguing the efforts threaten to upend free speech rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. “Not since the McCarthy... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top