Bill > S2590

This bill establishes a grant program to help states modernize their criminal justice data infrastructure to facilitate automatic record expungement and sealing. Under the bill, the Attorney General can provide up to $5 million to each eligible state that has a "covered expungement law" which allows for automatic record clearing without requiring individuals to pay fees or fines. To be eligible, states must submit an application detailing their current record expungement systems and how they plan to improve infrastructure to make record expungement automatic. States receiving grants must use up to 10% for research and planning, and the remaining funds to implement data infrastructure improvements, with the federal grant covering no more than 75% of implementation costs. Recipients are required to submit annual reports to the Attorney General, including detailed data on record expungement, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender. The bill authorizes $50 million in appropriations annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to support this program. The goal is to make criminal record expungement more accessible and streamlined, potentially helping individuals with past criminal records to more easily reintegrate into society by reducing barriers related to their criminal history.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2590/all-info