Delaware just proved it's possible.

In 2021, Delaware passed the Clean Slate Act, and last month, the state automatically cleared 64,000 low-level criminal records from public background checks. No petitions. No fees. No lawyers. Just a fresh start for tens of thousands of people who had already paid their debt to society.

The results speak for themselves. And now the rest of America needs to catch up.

Right now, 70 million Americans have a criminal record. Many of them are stuck, unable to get a job, rent an apartment, or qualify for a loan, not because they're dangerous, but because a decades-old arrest or minor conviction keeps showing up in background checks. The system isn't protecting anyone. It's just keeping people locked out.

We're calling on Congress to pass a federal Clean Slate Act that automatically expunges eligible low-level offenses. No paperwork, no waiting, no cost. Delaware showed it can be done. Pennsylvania, Michigan, and a handful of other states are following. It's time for a national standard.

But we're also calling on the FTC to do its job. Expungement only works if background check companies actually honor it. Too many employers and landlords are still seeing and acting on records that have been legally cleared. That's not a glitch. In many cases, it's a business model. The FTC has the authority to crack down on data brokers who report expunged records. We're demanding they use it.

A clean slate shouldn't depend on which state you live in. And it shouldn't be undone by a background check company that profits from your past.

Sign if you believe in second chances that actually work.