{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1672-114/featured_record-expungement-designed-to-enhance-employment-act-of-2015-1454549029.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1672-114/featured_large_record-expungement-designed-to-enhance-employment-act-of-2015-1454549029.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1672-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-03-26","title_override":"Should Young, Non-Violent Offenders Have a Chance To Expunge Their Records?","summary_override":"

This bill would create a process for sealing or expunging the records of those convicted of non-violent criminal or juvenile offenses.

Under this bill, juvenile records could be sealed (placed\n under highly restricted access) and/or expunged (removed from record). \nThis bill mandates the automatic expungement of records for young people\n who commit non-violent crimes before turning 15. After young people \nturn 15, this bill would automatically seal records for those who have \ncommitted non-violent crimes.

Adults who commit non-violent \ncrimes would be able to petition a court to seal their criminal record. \nCourts considering petitions to seal nonviolent offenses would have to \nbalance factors like the how much the protected information could harm a person's ability to secure and maintain employment.

States\n would be incentivized to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18\n years old. The bill also gives states \nincentives to preference Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant applications where 18 or older is the age of original jurisdiction for adult criminal courts.

The use of solitary confinement on juveniles would be restricted except in extreme circumstances: when it's necessary to protect a juvenile detainee or those around them.

This bill would lift the ban on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)\n benefits for low-level drug offenders. Access to benefits would also be\n restored for those convicted of drug use, possession, and distribution \ncrimes — provided their offense was related to a substance abuse \nproblem and have received treatment. It would be illegal to deny \nassistance and benefits, including employment services, to a convicted \nindividual, if they:

Have completed, are participating in, or agree to enroll in a substance treatment abuse program.
Are pregnant or a custodial parent.
Are suffering from a serious illness.
Comply with the terms of their sentence for the conviction.

The\n Department of Justice (DOJ) would have to establish procedures for the \nprompt release of records for employers requesting FBI background \nchecks. Before background checks for employment, housing or \ncredit applications can be completed, DOJ would have to get the person \nin question's consent. The person whose record is being requested would \nhave the opportunity to challenge the accuracy and completeness of their\n records. There would be a prohibition on exchanges of records \nregarding:

An arrest more than two years before a record request if the record does not also include the disposition of that arrest.
Non-serious offenses, like drunkenness, vagrancy, loitering, disturbing the peace, or curfew violations.
Circumstances that are not clearly arrests or dispositions.

","official_title":"To provide for the sealing or expungement of records relating to Federal nonviolent criminal offenses, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2015 or the REDEEM Act\n\nAmends the federal criminal code to provide a process for the sealing or expungement of records relating to nonviolent criminal or juvenile offenses.\n\nRequires a court considering a petition to seal a nonviolent offense to balance factors including the harm of the protected information to the ability of the petitioner to secure and maintain employment.\n\nSets forth limitations on involuntary room confinements at juvenile detention facilities.\n\nAmends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) to remove offenses relating to possession or use of a controlled substance from the categories of drug offenses that result in the convicted individual being ineligible for assistance under: (1) a state program funded with temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) grants under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; or (2) the supplemental nutrition assistance progra...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"People whose criminal records could be sealed or expunged, or want to challenge the accuracy of a background check; juveniles that are detained; entities requesting FBI background checks; states with an age of criminal responsibility below 18 years; and the Department of Justice.","argument_for":"A criminal record can ruin a person’s life, and the criminal justice system already imprisons far too many people for non-violent offenses. These reforms will help people turn their lives around. ","argument_against":"Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Criminal behavior results in a criminal record — people should consider their future careers and housing situations before committing crimes.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr1672-114","bill_id":"hr1672-114","formal_id":"H.R. 1672","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-04-29T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1672","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr1672ih/html/BILLS-114hr1672ih.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1672-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1672/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-03-26","related_bill_ids":["s675-114","s1965-114"],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":170,"committees":[{"name":"Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSAG03","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on Agriculture","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSAG","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Worker and Family Support","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSWM03","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on the Judiciary","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Ways and Means","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSWM","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSJU08","subcommittee":true}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr1672-114","details":"/api/bills/hr1672-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr1672-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr1672-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr1672-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":7,"slug":"hr1672-114-record-expungement-designed-to-enhance-employment-act-of-2015","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":2829,"yea_vote_count":2291,"nay_vote_count":532,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["crime-and-police"],"issue_ids":["crime-and-police","social-justice","social-services","public-safety","prisons"],"sponsor_id":425}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"crime-and-police","name":"Crime & Police","slug":"crime-and-police","description":"Federal legislation related to the prevention of crimes(from assault to organized crime to juvenile crime), firearms and explosives, correctional facilities and terrorism. 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Should Young, Non-Violent Offenders Have a Chance To Expunge Their Records?