FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 30, 2025

The Clean Slate Initiative Celebrates the Passage of Illinois Clean Slate Act

Illinois Becomes 13th State to Pass Automated Record Sealing, Opening Doors to Opportunities for 1.74 Million People

‍

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Clean Slate Initiative celebrates today’s passage of the Illinois Clean Slate Act (HB 1836) — a landmark bipartisan measure that creates an automated process to seal eligible arrest and conviction records, opening doors to opportunities for an estimated 1.74 million Illinoisans.

The bill’s passage makes Illinois the 13th state, plus Washington, D.C., in a growing national effort to ensure that outdated records no longer stand in the way of employment, housing, and stability for people who have earned a second chance after being held accountable for a mistake. The bill now heads to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for signature.

“Clean Slate is about giving people who’ve earned a second chance the freedom to move forward,” said Sheena Meade, CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative. “Illinois’ leadership sends a powerful message: when we remove unnecessary barriers, families thrive, communities grow stronger, and our economy benefits. This is what it looks like when we choose redemption over life-long punishment.”

The Clean Slate Initiative applauds the tireless advocacy of Illinois organizers, directly impacted leaders, and community partners who fought for years to make this victory possible. Their dedication to educating lawmakers, mobilizing communities, and keeping the focus on fairness and opportunity was critical to today’s success. CSI also extends deep gratitude to State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth and State Senator Elgie Sims, the bill’s chief sponsors and steadfast champions, whose leadership and commitment to second chances helped guide the Illinois Clean Slate Act across the finish line.

More than 2.2 million adults in Illinois have a past arrest or conviction record (The Clean Slate Initiative, 2019), and research shows that these barriers cost the state’s economy nearly $4.7 billion in lost earnings every year (Chien, et. al., 2023). Once fully implemented, Illinois’ automated record sealing system will streamline relief for eligible residents — replacing the current complex, petition-based process that only a small fraction of people successfully navigate.

Illinois currently has a process for sealing eligible records, but that process is complex, expensive, and time-consuming. As a result, over 90% of eligible individuals do not receive the benefits they have earned. According to news reports, fewer than 6,000 people manage to seal their eligible records each year, a pace that would take the state over 150 years to seal all eligible records (Maxwell, 2025). 

“Prior to Clean Slate, Illinois has technically had a way for people to seal their records — but in reality, the process has been so complicated, costly, and time-consuming that it’s been out of reach for most,” said Caitlin Dunklee, Campaign Strategist at The Clean Slate Initiative. “More than 90 percent of people eligible for relief have not been able to get their records sealed. At that pace, it would take Illinois more than a century to seal all eligible records — that’s why automation is such a game-changer.”

“Clean Slate isn’t just good policy — it’s a moral imperative and an economic strategy,” Meade added. “Every state that passes Clean Slate laws brings us closer to a future where a mistake in someone’s past doesn’t permanently define their future.”

Illinois joins a growing list of states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Utah, Connecticut, and New York, that have enacted Clean Slate policies. Just this month, Connecticut began sealing eligible records and is on track to have all eligible records sealed within the next few weeks (see CT Public Radio, CT Insider). Together, these laws represent a transformational shift in how states approach the sealing of old arrest and conviction records, ensuring that accountability is followed by opportunity.

A 2024 survey found significant benefits for people who experienced automated record sealing in three states - Pennsylvania, Utah, and Michigan. Among the findings:

• 42% of respondents reported improvements in employment and personal finances;
• 35% of respondents experienced improved family relationships; and 
• 34% reported positive mental health and self-esteem changes.

The full report on the impacts of Clean Slate laws is available on The Clean Slate Initiative’s website.

About The Clean Slate Initiative

The Clean Slate Initiative is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works to pass and implement automated record sealing legislation at the state and federal levels. More information about The Clean Slate Initiative is available at cleanslateinitiative.org. 

About the Clean Slate Illinois Coalition

The Clean Slate Illinois Coalition is a growing coalition of impacted leaders, advocates and allies who represent diverse communities and are dedicated to ending permanent punishments. The coalition’s Steering Committee is led by LiveFree Illinois, Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, and the Workers Center for Racial Justice, and more information about the full coalition is available at cleanslateillinois.org/thecoalition.

Sources

The Clean Slate Initiative. “CSI Data Dashboard.” The Clean Slate Initiative, 2019. https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/data. 

Chien, Colleen V., Navid Shaghagi, Angela Madrigal, Nivedita Thapa, and Varun Gujarathi. “The Illinois Second Chance Expungement/Sealing Gap.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2023. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4406408.

Maxwell, Mark. “Illinois Proposal Could Seal Criminal, Arrest Records for Millions, Easing Path to Employment.” ksdk.com. KSDK, May 7, 2025. https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/illinois-proposal-seal-criminal-arrest-records-employment/63-f5631117-c3b1-42f3-a280-cf46f41bd958. 

The Clean Slate Initiative. “The Impacts of Clean Slate Laws in Pennsylvania, Utah, and Michigan.” October 2024. https://www.cleanslateinitiative.org/research-data-publications/yougov-survey-report.

‍