WORMLEYSBURG, Pa. — It's a chance to start fresh. Pennsylvania House Bill 689 would expand the Commonwealth's groundbreaking 2018 Clean Slate Act to non-violent felonies.
The move would expunge the records of non-violent reformed felons automatically after ten years without crime. Misdemeanor crimes would be removed after seven years crime free, bumping the timeline up three years from the current law.
With just six scheduled session days left on this year's legislative calendar, advocates are pushing lawmakers to act.
"While this may seem like a few days on the calendar to the legislature, to people who are waiting for this bill to be passed, it is just painful," said Sharon Dietrich, litigation director for Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.
Dietrich said her clients' past mistakes are looming over their heads, keeping Pennsylvanians who have turned their lives around out of the workforce.
"It is a huge difference when a background check is done on you if that background check shows a felony versus showing nothing on their record," she said. "It is vital for people that this not drag on."
"There's like a few questions," said Tristan Maschke, a reformed felon from York. "Do you have a felony, etc.? Every time I had to say 'yes' to that, then I just automatically was dismissed."
Maschke said the mistake he made back in college is still impacting him today. He and a friend entered a construction site at Penn State almost two decades ago.
"Went through an open gap in the back of the construction and climbed into the building and went up on the top of the roof and thought it would be fun to get people's attention," Mashke said.
Maschke said his felony criminal trespassing charge has limited his career opportunities, making it harder to support his family. He said the bill would lift a weight off his shoulders.
"I hope this is the time it can finally happen, because it would make a big difference for a lot of people like me," he said.
A similar bill has been introduced in the state senate. The bills do not expire until next November.