Several categories of criminal records that employers have traditionally received regarding their applicants and employees during background screening will no longer be available to the public Pennsylvania, and therefore will not be included in future background reports. The change is due to Pennsylvania’s House Bill 1419, also known as the “Clean Slate Bill,” which took effect late last week.

Under the new law, access to second and third-degree misdemeanors and ungraded offenses that carry penalties of no more than two years of prison time will no longer be available for public access after ten years from the disposition date. This will only apply to records for individuals who have not received additional convictions for offenses punishable by more than one year in prison during the past ten years. Violations of serious crimes, such as those involving danger to another person and felonies, will not be eligible for this program. The law also adds additional protection against the disclosure of many juvenile criminal records. Unlike other state expungement laws, this law requires no action by the individual to seal the record from public view.

Click here to read more about PA’s Clean Slate Bill.

 

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