Sponsors (3)
The bill expands automatic sealing/expungement and funds state system modernization—boosting employment, housing access, and transparency for people with records—while imposing state matching costs, administrative and privacy risks, and federal budgetary and implementation uncertainties.
People with eligible arrest or conviction records (including low-income people, racial/ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities) will have records sealed or expunged automatically without applying or paying fees, increasing access to jobs and housing.
State governments get dedicated federal grants and a multi-year funding authorization (including up to $5M per state and $50M/year FY2026–FY2030) so they can build or upgrade records systems and plan multi-year implementations.
Automatic sealing and modernization of records systems will reduce barriers to employment and housing and is likely to lower recidivism for people with prior arrests or convictions.
State and local governments must identify eligible records and pay at least 25% of implementation costs, creating substantial administrative and budgetary burdens that could delay or unevenly roll out automatic expungement.
The Act authorizes funding but does not guarantee appropriations or offsets, so beneficiaries may face uncertainty and delays until Congress appropriates the money and program rules are established.
The federal funding and grants (including a $250M authorization over five years and per-state grants) increase federal expenditures, which taxpayers ultimately bear if Congress funds the program.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Creates DOJ grants (up to $5M/state) to build automatic criminal record expungement/sealing systems, requires disaggregated reporting, and authorizes $50M/year for FY2026–2030.
Introduced July 31, 2025 by Christopher Van Hollen · Last progress July 31, 2025
Provides federal grant funding to states to build or improve systems that automatically expunge or seal qualifying criminal records. States with laws that provide for automatic expungement/sealing can apply for one grant (up to $5 million) to develop data and IT infrastructure, subject to rules on eligibility, matching, and required reporting. Requires grant recipients to use most funds for implementation (with up to 10% for planning/research), limits federal support to no more than 75% of implementation costs, and mandates annual, disaggregated reporting of expungement/sealing outcomes; funds of $50 million per year are authorized for fiscal years 2026–2030.