Measure to clear criminal record passes test in the NY Senate

Photo: Fernando Martínez / Impremedia

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To develop the workforce in New York and give a new opportunity to those who have had a criminal record, the state Senate approved on Wednesday the Clean Slate Law (S1553C/A6399B)and will look at barriers to employment, housing, and education.

The Clean Slate NY Coalition is endorsed by major New York unions; Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Verizon and JP Morgan Chase; and religious leaders, who asked the Assembly to approve the bill before the end of the session scheduled for this Thursday so that the governor Kathy Hochul can sign it. Assembly members echoed this call and indicated that there was confidence that the bill would also be approved in their chamber.

The Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, one of the promoters of the bill, disclosed about the measure that “it has been a long road for all New Yorkers and their families who have been deprived of opportunities for decades. I applaud the Senate for promoting this critical legislation and I am confident we will get it done in the House. Now is the time”.

The Clean Slate Act has been endorsed by three Fortune 500 companies: Microsoft, Verizon and JP Morgan Chase, which employ tens of thousands of New Yorkers, and the New York State Business Council, which represents 3,500 member companies, local chambers of commerce and professional and trade associations. The bill also has the support of unions representing more than 2 million workers, including Council District 37, 1199 SEIU, RWDSU/UFCW Local 338, Mason Tenders District Council, Local 79 of Laborers and the New York State Nurses Association. Local governments in New York, Westchester, Albany and Buffalo have passed resolutions in support of the bill.

“Right now, more than 2 million New Yorkers face life in prison,” the senator said. Zellnor Myrie, lead sponsor of the Clean Slate Act. “But we are going to change that. Clean Slate will stabilize communities, contribute to our economy, and deliver on the promise of justice. I am grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for promoting this important legislation and look forward to it becoming law in New York State.”

“As one of the largest private union employers in the state, we believe people deserve a second chance,” he said. David Lamendola, Director of State Government Affairs for Verizon. “Discriminatory hiring practices in New York should not serve as artificial barriers for people to move on with their lives. They have paid their debt to society.

“The Clean Slate Act is an imperative piece of legislation that addresses a penal system that has continually failed to correct its errors in regards to the records of those released from prison,” Senator Julia Salazar said of the historic measure.

Justice and economic growth

Major New York business and labor unions support the Clean Slate Act as a blueprint for justice and economic growth. Due to barriers to employment, formerly incarcerated people lose an average of $484,400 in income over their lifetime, exacerbating poverty and worsening the racial wealth gap. Nationwide, excluding people with criminal records from the workforce costs the economy up to $87 billion annually in lost GDP. A Michigan filing law study found that within two years of having their records cleared, people were 11% more likely to have a job and earned 25% more.

Passage of the bill is especially vital to New York’s equitable economic recovery, as racism in the criminal legal system continues to disproportionately affect minority New Yorkers and deepens existing racial inequalities in civic life. As the data shows, 80% of people in New York City with criminal records are Black or Latino.

Under the legislation, New Yorkers will be eligible to have their criminal records automatically archived 3 years after conviction for misdemeanors and 7 years for felonies, not including prison time. To be eligible for this relief, individuals must have completed probation, parole, or post-release supervision. They cannot have incurred any new convictions during the 3 or 7 year waiting period.

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