HUDSON–The Hudson Common Council approved a resolution Tuesday night urging the State Legislature to pass the Clean Slate Act (S.1553B/A.6399A), which would end the perpetual punishment of more than two million New Yorkers by creating an automatic process to seal conviction records.
The resolution emphasizes that Clean Slate is essential for removing “systemic barriers to stable housing, employment and education,” reducing recidivism and “making our communities safer.”
The bill has a diverse array of support throughout the state, including faith leaders, crime survivors, labor groups, business leaders such as JPMorgan Chase, and from the vast majority of New York voters, city officials said.
The Clean Slate New York coalition is calling for the bill’s immediate passage at the beginning of the 2022 session, and as the resolution makes clear, must replace the current inadequate system of application-based sealing where less than 0.5 percent of eligible individuals have successfully cleared their records since 2017.
“Today, the City of Hudson made clear that it is time to give all New Yorkers a clean slate. The stigma of a conviction record has held back far too many people across our state, and it’s time we give everyone the opportunity to succeed and contribute to their communities. When the legislature returns next session, I urge them to immediately pass the Clean Slate Act,” said Majority Leader Tiffany Garriga (D-2nd Ward).
An economic justice, racial justice, and public safety bill, Clean Slate will automatically seal conviction records for eligible New Yorkers, so that all those who are eligible can move forward with their lives and contribute meaningfully to our shared communities. Under the proposed legislation, individuals are eligible three years after they have completed their sentence for a misdemeanor conviction or seven years after a felony conviction and must be off of probation or parole. Those who have accrued subsequent convictions or pending charges in New York during the waiting period would not be eligible, nor would sex offense convictions be eligible.
“This is common-sense legislation that would enhance our economy and public safety by giving every New Yorker the chance to fully participate and meaningfully contribute to our shared society. Continuing to punish people indefinitely, is completely counterintuitive to the power we all possess to grow and change, and it’s time we give everyone a clean slate,” said Cedric Fulton, civil rights manager at the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition.
