YourVoice.Now Summary
Civil LibertiesCriminal Justice & Due ProcessWorkers & JobsYour MoneyTransparency & AccountabilitySeals federal arrests that never led to a conviction and past drug-possession records — other nonviolent crimes could be sealed by a judge.
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 charges for having any illegal drug for your own use. It also covers nonviolent federal marijuana crimes. The judge orders it at sentencing. It takes effect 1 year after you finish your sentence and probation.
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.
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 for the jobs and gun checks that keep access.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
This covers federal crimes not on a list of violent ones, such as murder, robbery, arson, or gun crimes. You can file 1 year after your sentence ends. You must have no violent felony and no more than 2 others.
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 and a chance to weigh in.
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 kinds of 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. It would show how often prosecutors objected. The data would be split 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. It would be kept out of most background checks, and most people could no longer see it. Charges that are never filed would be sealed after 180 days. A case that ends without a conviction would be sealed within 60 days. The same goes for a federal conviction for simple drug possession or a nonviolent marijuana crime. 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 would need to have no violent felony and no more than 2 nonviolent felonies. The court would decide within 180 days, usually after a hearing. Prosecutors would have to show why the record should stay open. 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. 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. Those jobs include police work, national security posts, and jobs handling controlled drugs. Police and courts could still see sealed records for investigations, gun purchases, and those 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
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-05-01
- Date Added
- 2026-10-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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