That’s more than half of the charges in the court’s database. To date, almost 35 million cases have been automatically sealed without the cost of filing petitions in court. Clean Slate is allowing thousands of Pennsylvanians to move past their old, minor criminal records, and even more people can take advantage of this second chance with the passage of HB440. Sealed records are not available to the public, helping people access employment, housing and education. In addition to pioneering an automated sealing process, Clean Slate also expanded the number of misdemeanor convictions that can be sealed after a petition is filed in court. Now, thanks to Governor Wolf and my colleagues in the House and Senate, countless Pennsylvanians will be able to move on with their lives after being found innocent or pardoned of a crime.”

“When I first introduced this bill five years ago, I knew it could change lives. “Today once again proves that real criminal justice reform is possible,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Joanna E.

“I believe in second chances and I am pleased that our legislature feels the same way and demonstrated it by passing this legislation.” “House Bill 440 furthers Pennsylvania’s role as a national model for commonsense, bipartisan criminal justice reforms by removing a significant barrier from obtaining a clean slate due to failure to be able to pay court costs,” Gov. The bill also requires that when a person receives a pardon, that record is automatically sealed and if they receive a not-guilty verdict the record is expunged. Any restitution owed for convictions committed is not waived. House Bill 440 expands on the state’s historic Clean Slate law by removing an obligation to pay any outstanding court-ordered financial obligations before eligible cases can be sealed. Governor Tom Wolf signed several bills into law today, including House bills 440, 1439, 16, and Senate Bill 1076, which focus, respectively, on expanding the state’s Clean Slate law, and supporting mental health parity, sexual assault survivors, and veterans.

Clean slate law