Clean Slate Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative McBath
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create a federal system for the automatic sealing of federal criminal records and a separate petition process to seal many nonviolent federal offenses, including certain marijuana-related federal offenses.
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- People with qualifying federal nonviolent convictions could have records sealed automatically once they meet set waiting periods. Timelines include 1 year after sentence completion and 60 days after an acquittal.
- Employers would be barred from most background checks on sealed records and would have immunity for misconduct tied to the sealed portion of an employee's record.
- Law enforcement and courts keep limited access for specified purposes, victims get notice and protections, and the Attorney General must issue rules and ensure pre-enactment records are sealed within a two-year window.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Automatic sealing for arrests and marijuana cases
If enacted, certain federal records would seal on a set schedule. After an acquittal or exoneration, sealing would happen within 60 days. If you were arrested and no charges are filed by day 180, records would seal on that day, though a court could unseal to file charges. For nonviolent federal marijuana or 21 U.S.C. 844 convictions, records would seal one year after you finish every part of your sentence. The Attorney General would set rules so agencies seal required records, including older eligible records within two years.
Petition to seal more nonviolent records
If enacted, you could ask a federal court to seal records of certain nonviolent offenses one year after you finish your sentence. The court would notify prosecutors and victims, hold a hearing, and decide within 180 days unless you waive that timing. You could request a lawyer, use a simple universal form, and seek a fee waiver if you are indigent. Some prior felonies would limit eligibility, and if denied you would need to wait two years to refile on that offense.
Privacy rules for sealed records
If enacted, sealed records could not be shown to the public or used in most background checks. Law enforcement and courts could access sealed records only for investigations, prosecutions, or certain sensitive jobs. If your record is sealed, you generally could not be charged with perjury for not disclosing it, except in court testimony, new criminal probes, or sensitive job checks. You would still be able to view your own sealed record.
Build sealing systems and public reports
If enacted, the courts or Attorney General could fund tech systems to seal records and allow limited law-enforcement access. Each federal district court would publish a public report two years after enactment and every year after. Reports would show sealing petition results and be broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, and offense type, without names.
Penalties for leaks and employer immunity
If enacted, it would be a crime to knowingly disclose sealed records in prohibited ways, with fines or up to one year in jail. You or a crime victim could still share your own sealed information. Employers would be immune from some claims if the misconduct ties only to parts of records that were sealed.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
McBath
GA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Moran, Nathaniel [R-TX-1]
TX • R
Sponsored 4/30/2025
Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13]
OH • D
Sponsored 7/10/2025
McBride
DE • D
Sponsored 7/15/2025
Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1]
AL • R
Sponsored 10/21/2025
Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]
MO • D
Sponsored 10/21/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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