Illinois lawmakers pass bill to automatically seal nonviolent offenders’ records

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois legislature has passed a bill that modifies the Clean Slate Act to automatically seal the criminal records of nonviolent offenders.

House Bill 1836 takes crimes that can be sealed by petition and allows them to be sealed automatically.

The bill, which has been debated in the statehouse for years, would seal the records for offenders only if they served their punishment and were not convicted of another crime within the three years following their release.

“This does not extend beyond crimes that are currently able to be sealed by petition,” Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) said. “So it allows for us to deal with the backlog of cases.”

Currently, convicted criminals are barred from many careers and certifications due to their felony convictions.

The measure was approved in the Senate and has now passed the House. It heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for approval.

Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) voiced opposition to the bill, saying, “The only problem is that in statute, there are protections to make sure that before someone’s criminal record is sealed, they are rehabilitated,” McClure said. “And this bill also eliminates those protections.”

The bill requires the Illinois State Police to seal an initial batch eligible records by January 1, 2030. Automated sealing by Circuit Courts is slated to begin by January 1, 2031.