SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD) — Those with criminal records could get a second chance to join the workforce, thanks to a new bill that is headed to the governor’s desk for a signature.
State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth led the push for the bill, saying it was a "very personal project." The bill, dubbed the Clean Slate Act, allows for some criminal records to be automatically sealed.
"I will never forget this 75-year-old man that told me if I would have met you 50 years ago, I would have had a different life," she said.
The legislation passed out of the Illinois House on Thursday, receiving support from criminal justice reform groups alongside law enforcement and even some Republicans. It passed through the Senate a day before.
Gordon-Booth burst into tears on the House floor when the 80-26 vote was announced.
The Peoria Democrat described the measure not as a criminal justice reform but more as a jobs bill, allowing people who’ve been set back by their criminal record to rejoin the workforce.
"All of us have people in our communities that have made a mistake, and they just need a second opportunity," she said. "I implore you to dig in your heart today and allow these people an opportunity to work, [earn] wages, and hopefully [build] wealth someday."
Felony convictions are eligible for automatic sealing three years after a person finishes their sentence. Most misdemeanor convictions are eligible after two years after the end of the sentence.
Petty offences or ordinance violations will be automatically sealed every Jan 1. and July 1.
Crimes not eligible to be sealed range from murder and sex crimes, all the way to vehicle hijackings and residential burglary. A full list of all crimes ineligible to be sealed can be found here.
Law enforcement agencies, the courts, prosecutors and employers who need fingerprints for background checks, like schools, can access sealed criminal records. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also has access, but it is limited, Gordon-Booth said.
Employers, landlords and other members of the public, however, cannot access sealed records.
Some Republicans opposed the bill. State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, the Republican floor leader, said some Republicans aren’t opposed to the idea, but a provision allowing those with subsequent felonies to get their records automatically sealed made them a no vote.
Gordon-Booth said people who have been forced into poverty should get a second chance.
"I don’t know about you, but I know that I’ve made a mistake in my life," she said. "Mistake lists all of your lives. I believe so deeply and so desperately that there are so many people in our lives, in our families, in our communities that they simply want to have an opportunity."
Currently, when applying for a sealing petition, the person wanting their record sealed must pass a negative drug test. This bill would remove this.
The Clean Slate Act passed out of the House and had broad bipartisan support, receiving a yes vote from state Rep. Ryan Spain, a Peoria Republican.
