Clean Slate Act goes into effect, expunging eligible convictions in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — The Clean Slate Act went into effect on New Year's Day, expunging all eligible convictions.
Randy Anderson has a federal drug conviction from the 2000s, so the Clean Slate Act doesn't apply to him, but he says his record has prevented him from getting life insurance, and it's complicated becoming licensed as a drug and alcohol counselor.
"When is enough enough?" Anderson said. "When have I actually paid my debt to society? I haven't yet, because it still shows up in my life all the time."
DFL Rep. Jamie Long of Minneapolis co-authored the bill.
"The Clean Slate Act is about offering people second chances and an opportunity for redemption," said Long.
Lower-level, non-violent crimes are expunged, as long as the person committed no other crimes for a certain number of years.
A 2023 Santa Clara University study estimated about 470,000 Minnesotans were eligible for expungements, yet only 5% of them have done it.
Supporters of the bill believe this will be a significant help in addressing workforce shortages.
"A lot of employers...want to be able to hire a lot of these folks, but when things pop up in criminal background checks, sometimes it makes them think twice even if it's someone they like, because they're worried about legal liability," Long said.
The bill says law enforcement, courts and prosecutors can still access the records.
Rick Hodsdon, the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association general counsel, says there are serious public safety and procedural concerns with the sealing process.
He says the blanket expungements eliminate judicial discretion in granting expungement petitions, police can be denied in their access requests by judges, and the bill doesn't distinguish when registered predatory offenders had final convictions reduced to lesser crimes.
"This so-called Clean Slate legislation is contrary to 50 years of public records laws in the state of Minnesota," Hodsdon said.
Anderson says eliminating this barrier to employment, education and loans will help a lot of people.
"People deserve redemption, right?" he said. "If we believe that, we should show that in our systems."
For more information on the specific crimes that are expunged, click here.
