Fresh Start Act of 2025

This bill would create federal grants to help states upgrade their criminal justice data systems so records can be cleared automatically for people who qualify. Each eligible state could get up to $5 million to build or improve technology that makes expungement or sealing automatic. To qualify, a state must already have a record-clearing law and cannot delay clearing someone’s record just because they owe fines or fees . States could use up to 10% of the grant for planning, with the rest for putting the new systems in place. The grant can cover no more than 75% of project costs, so states must put in the remaining share .

States that take the money must report each year how many people are eligible for automatic clearing, how many have had records cleared, and how many applications are still pending, broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender. If a state can’t get all the data, it must submit a plan to obtain it. The Attorney General must publish a public report each year starting within one year of enactment. The bill authorizes $50 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030 to fund these grants .

• Who is affected: People eligible to have records cleared, and states that run record systems
• What changes: Federal grants to modernize systems so record clearing happens automatically; annual public reporting on results
• Money: Up to $5 million per eligible state; federal share capped at 75%; $50 million available each year (FY 2026–2030)
• When: Annual state reports during the grant term; national report published each year starting within one year of enactment