Sponsors (2)
The bill expands automatic sealing and practical access to relief for many people with federal marijuana records—improving jobs, housing, and reentry—while preserving law-enforcement and public-safety exceptions and creating liability, uncertainty, and administrative trade-offs that limit full privacy and coverage.
People with past nonviolent federal marijuana convictions: qualifying records will be automatically sealed after sentence requirements are met, improving employment, housing, and reentry prospects.
People arrested but not charged within 180 days: those arrest records will be automatically sealed, reducing collateral harms from unprosecuted arrests (like employment and housing barriers).
Low-income and other eligible individuals plus state/federal agencies: courts must notify people of sealing eligibility and provide accessible petition processes (including fee waivers), while the Attorney General and AOUSC must coordinate and fund technical steps to ensure agency records are sealed, improving practical access to relief.
People with sealed records and their coworkers/public safety: sealed records remain accessible to law enforcement and for certain background checks (e.g., firearm purchases, controlled-substance roles), limiting privacy and allowing exclusions for public-safety screening.
Employers and coworkers/public safety: employers receive immunity from liability for misconduct tied to sealed records, which could shift risk and harm onto coworkers or the public if employers rely on the immunity rather than mitigating risks.
Individuals relying on an initial sealing under the 180-day rule: the government may later unseal records to file charges, creating uncertainty about the permanency of sealing and potentially disrupting employment or housing stability.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Automatically seals many federal nonviolent marijuana arrest and conviction records for eligible individuals who completed their sentences, subject to detailed exclusions.
Introduced May 1, 2025 by Lisa Blunt Rochester · Last progress May 1, 2025
Creates a new federal rule that automatically seals many federal nonviolent marijuana arrest and conviction records for people who completed their sentences and meet defined eligibility criteria. It defines who qualifies, which marijuana-related offenses are covered or excluded, and bars sealing for persons with serious national-security, violent, or other specified convictions. The change adds a new chapter to federal criminal law to require automatic sealing of covered records; it does not appropriate funds, alter state records, or remove convictions (it limits public access to certain federal records under specified conditions).