The Legal Aid Society called on the New York State Legislature to immediately reconvene to pass the Clean Slate Act (S.1553B/A.6399A) – legislation that would create a process to automatically seal certain convictions after a designated period of time, reports the Democrat & Chronicle.

The collateral damage of a criminal conviction can be wide-ranging and enduring — permanently barring many individuals from basic opportunities like employment and housing — a reality that many Legal Aid clients suffer from on a regular basis.

Emma Goodman, a staff attorney with the Criminal Defense Practice’s Special Litigation Unit at The Legal Aid Society, stated – “The Clean Slate Act was moments away from passing last night when the Legislature turned its back on more than two million New Yorkers, the overwhelming majority from communities of color, by failing to pass this critical legislation.”