Governor Hochul: “With the signing of this law, it adds to our momentum to get people back to work. Give them those opportunities. And all those people who've been convicted, not able to find someone who'll believe in them again, who'll help lift them up, give them a home, let them have independence again, have the dignity of a job. It means everything to people.”
Hochul: “How often do you see law enforcement, criminal justice advocates, unions, and businesses coming together around the same piece of legislation? …It's a victory for common sense and moral decency. It's a victory for anyone who believes in economic progress and a just society. It's a victory for anyone who wants to make sure that our communities are safe and vibrant.”
Hochul: “We're not sealing records for sex crimes or most Class A felonies. Employers and the public have a right to know about the sex offenders and the worst violent criminals before they give them a job. This only seals crimes for certain civil purposes, just as for job applications, which is what we're doing here today, and housing applications. Law enforcement will always have access to these conviction records… This will not make law enforcement's job harder.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Clean Slate Act (S.7551A/A.1029C), which allows certain criminal records to be sealed years after an individual is sentenced or released from incarceration if that individual is not subsequently convicted of an additional criminal act. Following their release from any incarceration, records of individuals with eligible misdemeanor convictions will be sealed after three years and those with certain felony convictions, after eight years. The Clean Slate Act will not seal the records of individuals convicted of sex crimes, murder or other non-drug Class A felonies; law enforcement, prosecutors, the New York State Education Department, the courts and other groups will continue to have access to all criminal records under this law.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
My number one job as the New York State Governor is to keep people safe. And I believe that the best anti-crime tool we have is a job. When people have steady work, they're less likely to commit crimes and less likely to be homeless. New York also has a labor shortage right now. I have 460,000 jobs that are unfilled today. Our employers are begging for workers. That's the equivalent of the populations of Buffalo and Rochester combined. Plenty of work, right?
So, common sense. We do everything we can to fill those jobs. But New York State has lagged behind some other states. Sad but true. Lagged behind other states in allowing people to get jobs because they're haunted by perhaps long-ago criminal records, right? They've paid their debt to society. Now let's make that very clear. They've gone through the process. They did their time. They're done. But when they re-enter society, there are still barriers to housing and jobs. I say no more. Today, we're here today to correct that injustice by signing into law the Clean Slate Act.
And I want to thank our Attorney General, Tish James, for all her work on this initiative. I want to thank the District Attorney, Eric Gonzalez, great champion. The sponsors of the legislation, let's give a special round of applause to Senator Zellnor Myrie and Catalina Cruz – stand up.
There have been many powerful voices behind this movement. I want to thank the leaders of the labor community as well. Labor union in the house, thank you for your support for this. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I want to thank businesses led by Kathy Wylde, the President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City for adding her voice behind this and the voices of thousands of employers. Thank you.
And we have a lot of people who will validate us all over the social media world, I'm excited about this. La La Anthony is here, TV personality, actress and activist. Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you. We also have a woman whose life was touched by this problem up until now. Melinda Agnew, you'll hear her powerful story. I look forward to hearing her remarks.
I also want to thank the members of my administration that have been out there on the front lines championing this but also making sure that it works for everyone. And the state legislators, let's give them a round of applause, our Senators and Assemblymembers. Thank you for all you've done for us. And the members and advocates of the New York Clean Slate Coalition, congratulations to you.
Since I took office two years ago, I've been laser focused on, as I said, protecting New Yorkers and driving down crime. Murders are down 38 percent statewide. That's amazing. The other day, the NYPD reported, that we had gone an entire week without a single murder in New York City. We've not done that since 2018 and that was a historic low, not seen since the 1950s. We're making progress.
And we're continuing to invest in criminal justice – half a billion dollars in the 2024 Budget that was passed by all of us, the legislators and myself. And we're focused on helping low-income New Yorkers get better legal representation, as well as boosting alternatives to incarceration. Those are important priorities of mine.
And with the signing of this law, it adds to our momentum to get people back to work. Give them those opportunities. And all those people who've been convicted, not able to find someone who'll believe in them again, who'll help lift them up, give them a home, let them have independence again, have the dignity of a job. It means everything to people. This is even years after they've done their debt to society, years after they've done nothing else wrong. And if they can't take care of themselves and their families, what alternatives do they do? It cycles people back to the streets. That's not what we want to have happen.
We invest in people, we believe in people, we keep them out of that alternative, which led them to this place in the first place. That's what we have the power to do here today. And as we know, if people end up in financial desperation, they may recommit crimes. That's not what we want to have happen because we want to make sure people feel and are safe in the state.
We disrupt this cycle with this law by sealing criminal records for specific crimes and after a waiting period. Now we're talking about misdemeanors for starts, sealed after three years after someone gets out of jail. The waiting period is eight years after being released from jail for felonies. Now, if they've had their probation or parole revoked, the clock starts over again, right?
You only get this if you've turned your life around. But the good news is, millions of people have. They're the ones we're focused on here today. We seal the records, they can look for a job, learn a trade, without having that permanent scarlet letter on their forehead that says, I can't work, I won't be able to work. That's what we're taking care of today. We're talking about people who went before a judge and a jury, paid the price for their action and sometimes over many, many years.
As a society, we must welcome them back, help them get back on their feet. Supportive housing sometimes. I've wanted job training while people are still incarcerated, helping them overcome their struggles while they're still incarcerated, having a welcome home for them and even bringing our Department of Labor teams to the prison so they can sign up for jobs and know it's out there. We can keep investing in people even before they come out, so they know there's a better alternative. That's how we help them. That's how we keep society safe from future criminal acts.
You're going to hear in a couple of minutes from Melinda Agnew, a mother, an educator, who will share her personal story of looking for work, raising a family, trying to build a life, all while being haunted by an old criminal record. She was sentenced to three years of probation in 1999, that record followed her the rest of her life, even as she wanted to pursue a master's degree and become a teacher's assistant at Syracuse. But she's a story of success. When you hear her story, you'll know what hope is all about. When we believe in people and give them a chance, she's a model of what we're going to be doing for nearly two million people with the stroke of a pen today.
When I considered this process, this bill, which I introduced in my budget last year, she said, “No matter how many years of education I have,” Melinda said, “I was still being judged for something I did as a young girl.” We're not going to continue to judge people by their worst moments in life when they've paid their debt. We'll have that pathway for change and for growth and for renewal.
One in eight New Yorkers have faced these obstacles, one in eight. That's millions of people. And the burden has particularly fallen hard on Black and Brown communities. We've waited too long to rectify this. There are so many good reasons to make this change. When someone has a job, they can pay taxes, support their family, become involved in community life, their children's schools, their places of worship, start a small business, invest in others, hire other people.
You know, other states have done this. And to those who want to weaponize this as a political issue, I just need to point to deep red states like Oklahoma, South Dakota, Missouri, and Utah. They're way ahead of us on this, and they're showing that it works. We're not the first, the evidence is there. When you give people jobs, they don't commit crimes. Crime rates go down. It's common sense, people.
Now, it doesn't apply to every conviction. Now this is where we need to be the truth tellers out here. Okay? Tell the truth. We're not sealing records for sex crimes or most Class A felonies. Employers and the public have a right to know about the sex offenders and the worst violent criminals before they give them a job. This only seals crimes for certain civil purposes, just as for job applications, which is what we're doing here today, and housing applications. Law enforcement will always have access to these conviction records. I've heard law enforcement tell me they didn't think that was the case. I said, “No, that's exactly the case.”
Whether they're carrying out an investigation, issuing an order of protection to protect someone, or vetting someone to work in jobs where they're dealing with children or elderly, places where a background check is required. So, this will not change access to records for murderers, sex offenders, or domestic terrorists.
It will not change records for law enforcement or for gun safety background checks. It won't change the sex offender registry. So, that's what we're talking about here. So, all of those who are going to peddle in misinformation, and they've already started, the truth will be a barrier. The truth will be the sword, because you need to know what the truth is and I'm telling you right now. There are people who want to scare you. But I'll tell you the truth, and I'll keep you safe.
This will not make law enforcement's job harder. It will not. But what it does, it has massive, tangible economic benefits for employees and employers alike. The Brennan Center for Justice estimates because of underemployment due to this problem with conviction records, it costs about $12 billion a year in reduced wages for New York. I'd rather see that back in the economy, wouldn't you? I think that sounds pretty good, $12 billion.
And as I said, the business community wants this. The Partnership of New York, the Business Council of New York representing businesses all over New York State, the Second Chance Business Coalition representing major firms from JPMorgan Chase to General Motors to Walmart, they all backed this legislation.
In fact, it was JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, who first talked to me about this when I first became Governor. And people like Jamie have been great champions. Small businesses want it too. Because if they can't hire people, they don't grow. Criminal justice advocates have backed this for a long time as well. I tip my hat to them for what they've done. Law enforcement, many members of law enforcement have backed this too because they want to make their jobs easier. They want someone to have a job instead of another crime being committed. So, how often do you see law enforcement, criminal justice advocates, unions, and businesses coming together around the same piece of legislation? How often? I'll tell you right now. It's a rare day, and you are all here to witness this. This is extraordinary. We got it done.
It's a victory for common sense and moral decency. It's a victory for anyone who believes in economic progress and a just society. It's a victory for anyone who wants to make sure that our communities are safe and vibrant. So, I am so proud, minutes from now, to sign the Clean Slate Act and give businesses the help they need and give millions of New Yorkers the second chance they deserve. Thank you very much.