“To require automatic sealing of certain criminal records, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes automatic sealing of certain federal arrest and conviction records by adding §3560 to subchapter A of chapter 227 of title 18, United States Code. (1) Covered individuals include non-sex offenders who (a) were arrested for a federal offense without conviction, (b) were convicted under §404 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. §844, i.e., simple possession) or of any federal nonviolent marijuana offense (with sentence requirements fulfilled), and (c) have no convictions related to treason, terrorism, national security, or specified violent offenses (e.g., murder, kidnapping, forcible sex offenses, robbery). (2) For convictions described in (1)(b), courts must order sealing one year after sentence completion (including imprisonment, probation, supervised release, and conditions). (3) For acquittals, exonerations, or non-convictions, sealing occurs automatically within 60 days. (4) For arrests without charges filed within 180 days, sealing is automatic (unsealable by government to file charges, with resealing possible later). Sealed records are inaccessible to the public, exempt covered individuals from disclosing them (avoiding perjury or false statement liability under specified statutes), and excluded from background checks, except for law enforcement/court access for investigations or certain employment (e.g., law enforcement positions).