by Chris Marr, Robert Iafolla - Bloomberg Law

‘Clean Slate’ Legislation|Covid Litigation Update

Chris Marr: Laws aimed at improving the employment prospects of people with criminal records could be set to spread next year in state legislatures, after three new states passed “clean slate” measures in 2022.

Advocates are pushing New York lawmakers to pass a bill early in 2023 that would automatically seal a person’s criminal record a few years after they’ve served out their sentence, with the time period varying based on the severity of the crime. It’s one of several states with active efforts to pass such a law. California, Colorado, and Oklahoma each passed clean slate laws this year, bringing the count to eight states, according to the Clean Slate Initiative.