Pennsylvania

Recent Legislation and Executive Orders

2023

House Bill 689: Expands the nation’s first-even Clean Slate automated record-sealing law to include nonviolent drug felonies and reduces waiting period for low level offenses.

2022

House Bill 987: Made elimination of drivers license suspension retroactive

2018

House Bill 163: Eliminates driver’s license suspensions for certain non-driving offenses.

House Bill 1419: Ensures automatic record sealing for individuals convicted of low-level, nonviolent misdemeanor offenses after 10 crime-free years.

House Resolution 76: Opts Pennsylvania out of federal provision that requires automatic suspensions of driver’s licenses of those convicted of certain crimes in order to receive federal highway funds.

2017

Senate Bill 8: Civil asset forfeiture reforms: establishes higher burden of proof for the state in forfeiture proceedings; creates protections for third party owners by increasing burden of proof on the state; increases transparency for reporting and auditing at the county and state levels; creates additional procedural protections for property owners.

2016

Executive Order: Ban the Box

2015

Senate Bill 166: Expungement legislation

Releases

News
Pennsylvania Leads The Country On Pro-Jobs Criminal Justice Policy Again, General Assembly Sends Clean Slate Expansion to Governor
Pennsylvania Leads The Country On Pro-Jobs Criminal Justice Policy Again, General Assembly Sends Clean Slate Expansion to Governor

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed House Bill 689, a bill allowing the sealing of low-level, nonviolent felonies, sponsored by Representatives Jordan Harris (D-Phila.) and Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland), and led by Senators Lisa Baker and Anthony Williams in the Senate. The effort builds on Pennsylvania’s 2018 framework to expand automated expungements to more Pennsylvanians who have proven they can remain crime free. After a 47-3 vote in the Senate and 153-50 concurrence vote in the House, the bill now heads to Governor Shapiro’s desk for his signature.

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Business Leaders, Bipartisan Organizations Unite to Urge Immediate Expansion of Clean Slate Legislation
Business Leaders, Bipartisan Organizations Unite to Urge Immediate Expansion of Clean Slate Legislation

Hosted by local business owner Steve Conway of Pyramid Construction Services, the press conference included comments by representatives of the nation’s largest bipartisan criminal justice and public safety advocacy organization, Justice Action Network; Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania; Associated Builders & Contractors Keystone Chapter; and Community Legal Services; along with those who have been impacted by Pennsylvania’s record sealing policies.

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ICYMI: CLEAN SLATE EXPANSION PICKING UP MOMENTUM IN PENNSYLVANIA CAPITOL, RECEIVES UNANIMOUS VOTE IN COMMITTEE
ICYMI: CLEAN SLATE EXPANSION PICKING UP MOMENTUM IN PENNSYLVANIA CAPITOL, RECEIVES UNANIMOUS VOTE IN COMMITTEE

A bipartisan effort to expand Pennsylvania’s 2018 Clean Slate law gathered further momentum today with unanimous passage out of the house judiciary committee.

The vote comes after a coalition of criminal justice advocates, national policy experts, and state lawmakers held a press conference in the state capitol last week.

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