SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A monumental bill to automatically seal records for people convicted of nonviolent felonies is heading to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk.
The Clean Slate Act will allow felony convictions currently eligible for expungement to be automatically sealed by a circuit court judge or the Illinois State Police.
State lawmakers passed legislation in 2017 to allow certain offenders with nonviolent felony convictions to apply for expungement. Yet, each of the state's 102 counties have addressed the record sealing process differently.
Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) said it is past time for a streamlined process to open doors for job opportunities and allow 1.7 million Illinoisans who served time to rebuild their lives.
"They simply want to have an opportunity. They want to have a track to run on," Gordon-Booth said. "They want to be able to care for themselves and care for their families. But oftentimes, a conviction will calcify them in poverty."
Serious crimes like murder, sex offenses, human trafficking, Class X felonies, DUI and domestic violence will be excluded from automatic sealing.
House Bill 1836 passed out of the House on a 80-26 vote. The measure received a 39-17 vote in the Senate Wednesday night.
"There are obvious issues here with public safety," said Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield). "There are obviously issues here that should have been left in our laws that are taken out that would've helped to rehabilitate people."
Law enforcement organizations worked with grassroots advocates to get the legislation across the finish line. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Illinois Manufacturers' Association also support the bill.
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