The legislation would provide an opportunity to expunge an individual’s record if they have been unconditionally pardoned or fully acquitted of all charges, based on the same conduct or arising from the same alleged criminal episode. The Clean Slate legislation was passed to expand the number of convictions that could be set aside, but new language restricting its application to those who have no new conviction during the applicable wait period may pose a problem for many. We have two bills this legislative session, HB 604 and HB 232, which will work together to ensure that everyone who is legally entitled to expungement under current Louisiana law will get their record expunged by the government. Last week, lawmakers in Michigan joined Pennsylvania and Utah by passing a Clean Slate package of bills of its own. Read about the heartbreaking set backs criminal records have in this NPR article. “This anti-poverty, pro-job opportunity Clean Slate legislation will reinvigorate the economic potential of hundreds of thousands of Michiganders whose records have hindered their availability to get a job or secure housing, and it will help us grow our workforce,” said Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. However, a similar bill, House Bill 440, passed the House by a vote of 197-0 and is currently in the state Senate. H.B. In October 2020, the Legislature enacted a group of bills collectively known as the “Clean Slate” package. 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. Clean Slate ensures we will not hamstring our post-COVID-19 recovery by preventing 1.2 MILLION Louisianians with criminal records from returning to the workforce. Learn about Louisiana's expungement process and, expungements lead to increased wages and decreased recidivism. With a focus on criminal justice reform in recent years, which states are enacting or considering implementing versions of Clean Slate? Current Georgia law states that arrests that do not lead to convictions and misdemeanor convictions for minors are the only crimes the state can expunge. The automatic expungement requirement will not begin […] By enacting clean slate legislation in Louisiana, we can remove barriers for those who have served their sentences and provide them the opportunity to thrive. It is estimated that S.B. Louisiana faces several challenges connected to its criminal legal system: the highest incarceration rate in the country, a high poverty rate, and numerous barriers to housing, education, and employment for those who have served their sentences. Louisiana making progress on prison-to-workforce-reentry. 431 allows for expungement of criminal records if a person does not commit another crime for five years for a class C misdemeanor, six years for a class B misdemeanor, and seven years for drug possession. The Clean Slate Act or clean slate scheme, more formally and correctly known as the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004, became law almost 15 years ago. This is more important than ever in the wake of COVID-19 to ensure that Louisianians with criminal records aren't left behind when the economy reopens. It is a free, educational event to inform the community about new Michigan legislation going into effect on April 11, that will remove several barriers to expungement, and help residents set aside their criminal records and get a “clean slate.” The legislation, which can be viewed here, would expand the number and types of felonies and misdemeanors that are eligible to be set aside, and address traffic and marijuana … We help people recover from the criminal legal system. How Have Governors Spent Federal GEER Funds? 403. We can all agree that a criminal record shouldn't be a life sentence to poverty - it's time to move to a clean slate in Louisiana. Even though they've served their time. 4984): Amends Section 1 of MCL 780.621 to expand petition-based eligibility to an unlimited number of misdemeanors and up to three felonies: A person can apply to expunge up to three felonies, but a person cannot have more than … Even though they have no new convictions. In truth, Michigan’s Clean Slate legislation is a package of 7 separate bills that have dramatically changed the legal landscape in Michigan as it relates to expungements (the removal of arrests and convictions from an individual’s public criminal record; in … State of the State Addresses Part 2: Governors Lay Out 2021 Priorities, 2021 Redistricting: Reform Update and Preview. Click here to access it, Clean Slate: Because We all Deserve a Second Chance. Pennsylvania was the first state to enact a “Clean Slate” law and automatically sealing certain criminal records. Learn more about the national Clean Slate movement by reading the Clean Slate Toolkit here., NFL's Malcom Jenkins Speaks Out About Unfair Expungement Processes, National Clean Slate Initiative video on clean slate policies nationwide. Get informed about the issues and speak out about the need for second chances in Michigan. 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