YourVoice.Now Summary
Civil LibertiesCriminal Justice & Due ProcessWorkers & JobsYour MoneyTransparency & AccountabilitySeals federal arrests that never led to a conviction, plus drug-possession and nonviolent marijuana records — judges could seal other nonviolent crimes.
Civil Liberties
A case that ends without a conviction is sealed within 60 days. An arrest with no charges is sealed after 180 days. Prosecutors can ask a judge to unseal it to file charges later.
This covers federal convictions for having an illegal drug for your own use. It also covers any nonviolent federal marijuana crime, not just possession. The judge orders it at sentencing, and it takes effect 1 year after your sentence ends.
Police and courts can still see sealed records for their cases. They can also use them to check gun buyers and people seeking police, security, or drug-handling jobs. No one else can see them, but you can see your own.
You would not face perjury or false-statement charges for leaving a sealed record off a form. You must still disclose it when testifying, when police question you in a new case, or when you seek certain jobs.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
This covers federal crimes not on a list of violent or serious ones, such as murder, robbery, arson, or gun crimes. You can file 1 year after your sentence ends. You can have no more than 2 such felonies.
The judge weighs public safety and the government's interest against your efforts to rebuild your life and find work. The government carries the burden. Crime victims get notice of the request.
The federal court must assign a lawyer to represent you when you ask to seal a record. It uses the court's existing plan for appointing defense lawyers.
This applies to anyone who knowingly looks up or shares a sealed record without a lawful reason. You and the crime victim can still see and share your own record.
Workers & Jobs
An employer cannot be sued over a worker's misconduct if it ties to the sealed part of that worker's record. This covers both automatic and court-ordered sealing.
Your Money
Federal courts must set up a simple way for people who cannot afford it to skip the filing fee. A standard form would be available online and on paper.
Transparency & Accountability
Each federal trial court would post how many requests it granted and denied, and how often prosecutors supported or opposed them. The data would be broken out by race, ethnicity, gender, and type of crime, with no names.
More about this bill
If you were arrested for a federal crime but never convicted, your record would be sealed automatically. Sealed records stay out of most background checks, and most people could not see them. A case that ends without a conviction would be sealed within 60 days. An arrest with no charges filed would be sealed after 180 days. Federal convictions for simple drug possession would also be sealed on their own. So would any nonviolent federal marijuana crime, not just possession. Those records would be sealed 1 year after you finish your whole sentence, including probation. Sex offenders and people convicted of terrorism or national security crimes would not qualify. Old cases count too, and the Attorney General would have 2 years to seal them. For other nonviolent federal crimes, you could ask a federal court to seal your record. You could file 1 year after you finish your sentence. You could have no more than 2 such felonies, and no felony on the bill's list of violent or serious crimes. The court would assign you a lawyer for your request. The court would decide within 180 days, usually after a hearing. Prosecutors would have to show why the record should stay open. Prosecutors would also try to tell crime victims about your request. If you are turned down, you must wait 2 years to try again. Courts would offer a standard form online and on paper. People who cannot afford the filing fee could get it waived. The court must tell you about this option when you are convicted and again when your sentence ends. Once a record is sealed, you would not have to mention it. You could not be charged with lying for leaving it out. You would still have to disclose it in court, to police in a new case, or for some jobs. Police and courts could still use sealed records for investigations and gun purchase checks. They could also check them for police, national security, and drug-handling jobs. Anyone who leaks a sealed record could face up to 1 year in prison. Employers who hire someone with a sealed record could not be sued over related misconduct.
Congressional Summary
Clean Slate Act of 2025 This bill establishes a framework for sealing records related to certain federal criminal offenses. Courts must automatically seal records related to (1) a conviction for simple possession of a controlled substance or for any nonviolent offense involving marijuana, or (2) an arrest for an offense that does not result in a conviction. Additionally, an individual who meets certain criteria may petition to seal records related to a conviction for other nonviolent offenses.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-04-30
- Date Added
- 2026-10-07
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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