Author name: Colleen Chien

The Financial Impact of Suspended Licenses in Kansas (Jan. 10, 2024)

Kansas is considering legislation to end debt-driven driver’s license suspensions for unpaid fines, fees and court costs. It is estimated that over 127,000 Kansas drivers licenses are currently suspended due to failure to appear in traffic court due to unpaid fines, fees, and court costs. These suspensions are often an extension of the debt collection […]

Minnesota Legislators Address Benefits of New Expungement Law (Nov. 7, 2023)

Though Minnesota already had an expungement act, the process proved too costly for many. On top of fees that could rise above $300, the procedure also took too long. These issues meant that few eligible individuals attempted expungement. A study by Santa Clara University found that only 5% of eligible Minnesota residents had their records expunged,

More states pushing ‘Clean Slate’ legislation to clear former convicts (Jun. 2, 2023)

The Clean Slate Act takes various forms in different states, but generally the legislation seals the criminal records of former prisoners after they’ve served their time. New York’s Clean Slate Act bill would automatically seal the records of offenders who have served their sentence plus stayed out of trouble for several years afterward — three years

MO ‘Clean Slate’ Bill Would Make ‘Expungement’ Automatic (Mar. 26, 2023)

“A large percentage of Missourians who could to have their criminal records ‘expunged’ have not done so, despite the effects expungement — referred to as ‘clean slate’ — can have on earnings and opportunities.” “Baker noted many individuals whose records are not expunged struggle to get hired at all, leading to high rates of unemployment.”

Guest Column: Fix Oregon’s broken system for expunging criminal records (Mar. 14, 2023)

“There is a bill this legislative session that will provide that second chance to thousands of Oregonians. Senate Bill 698, or the “Clean Slate’’ act (sponsored by Sen. Manning), automatically expunges criminal records for people who are eligible. Current law states that individuals convicted of low-level offenses who have completed their sentence and then remained

The Clean Slate bill must be enforced to end injustice in CT (Mar. 13, 2023)

“In 2021, I co-published a report with Paper Prisons about people in Connecticut with convictions. I also testified for the Clean Slate bill, passed in May 2021, which was supposed to erase the records of misdemeanor and low-level felony convictions after seven or ten years without any conviction. The law was supposed to take effect in January

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