Harris praises overwhelmingly bipartisan House passage of Clean Slate 3.0
Rep. Jordan A. Harris June 5, 2023 | 5:49 PM
HARRISBURG, June 5 – State Rep. Jordan Harris, House Appropriations chair, praised the bipartisan passage of House Bill 689, known as Clean Slate 3.0 that he authored with Rep. Sheryl Delozier, and thanked his colleagues for expanding on the good Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate program has achieved since its creation in 2018.
“The bipartisan passage of Clean Slate 3.0 shows that Pennsylvania continues to believe in second chances and expand the folks who can access them,” Harris said. “I’m incredibly appreciative to again work with Representative Delozier on criminal justice reform as well as the advocacy groups from both sides of the aisle who all recognize that this is the right thing to do for Pennsylvania and Pennsylvanians. I hope to see quick passage in the Senate so Governor Josh Shapiro can make Clean Slate 3.0 law.”
“The passage of House Bill 689 is another victory for meaningful criminal justice reform, and I am proud to have worked with Rep. Harris on this bill,” said Delozier. “Clean Slate expansion is about helping people who’ve earned second chances and promoting fairness in the system. I’m happy our colleagues saw the value of approving this important legislation and I look forward to seeing it advance in the Senate.”
Clean Slate 3.0 builds on Pennsylvania’s original Clean Slate law by making low-level, non-violent drug felonies with a maximum sentence of 30 months eligible for automated sealing. It also permits petition-based sealing of a few other nonviolent felonies and reduces the waiting period for automated sealing of misdemeanors to 7 years. The original Clean Slate law has sealed 40 million cases and improved the lives of 1.2 million Pennsylvanians and their families.
A broad bipartisan coalition of support has formed behind expanding Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law, including groups from law enforcement, faith groups, business leaders, civil rights organizations, and criminal justice advocates