Clean Slate laws reach 18 million people across 13 states

2 min readUpdated May 30, 2026

More than 18 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C., now stand to have past arrests or convictions fully or partially cleared, the result of a record-sealing movement that has gained significant ground over the past decade, according to CNN.

At the center of the effort is the Clean Slate Initiative, a nonprofit led by CEO Sheena Meade, whose own 2004 misdemeanor arrest for a bounced check — a charge later dismissed — continues to affect her ability to secure housing and employment, according to CNN. The arrest record has led Meade to opt out of certain situations entirely — she told CNN she once declined to chaperone her son's field trip after encountering a form that asked about prior arrests.

According to figures cited by the Clean Slate Initiative and reported by CNN, approximately 28% of American adults — close to one in three — carried an arrest record as of 2019. Because nearly all employers and landlords run background checks on applicants, even people who were arrested but never convicted can find themselves shut out of jobs and housing.

The movement has drawn support from both parties. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, signed Clean Slate legislation in 2022, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, signed a version in 2023. A Clean Slate bill passed by the Missouri legislature is now on Gov. Mike Kehoe's desk, and if he signs it, the state would become the 14th to enact such a law, according to CNN.

Not all efforts have succeeded. According to CNN, the legislation hit a wall in Maine, where Gov. Janet Mills rejected it last month over objections that it would shield domestic violence records, raise First Amendment issues, and carry a steep price tag.

Automatic expungement laws reach 18 million in 13 states, with more on the way

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