Springfield council unanimously backs ‘Clean Slate’ resolution urging automatic sealing of eligible records

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Springfield City Council voted unanimously Monday to endorse the Clean Slate Massachusetts campaign and urged the state Legislature to pass bills automating the sealing of eligible criminal records.

The resolution, introduced and read by Councilor Tracy Whitfield, asks state lawmakers to advance legislation that would remove administrative barriers to sealing nonconviction cases and records for people who have met existing waiting periods. The council also added all members as cosponsors before approving the measure.

Supporters told the council the change would expand access to jobs, housing and public-health resources. “Clean slate, like Councilor Whitfield said, it’s about fairness and opportunity, but it’s also about health,” Andrea Freeman, policy director at the Public Health Institute of Western Mass., told the council. Freeman said a criminal record can block access to good jobs, stable housing and education and that “when these doors are closed, health outcomes suffer.”

Speakers cited specific numbers and features discussed in legislation before the Legislature. According to comments at the meeting, about 672,000 people in Massachusetts are currently eligible to have records sealed under the existing waiting periods — three years for many misdemeanors and seven years for many felonies — but face a burdensome petition process and court backlogs that can delay sealing by months. “People who come out of prison, and cannot find a home and cannot find a job are much more likely to reoffend,” Miles Gresham of Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts said.

Attorney Pauline Kurian of Greater Boston Legal Services told the council that automating sealing reduces complexity for people who are eligible but lack legal help. “So it’s really the right thing to do is to automate the process,” she said, adding that a number of other states have enacted similar laws.

Councilors from across the chamber voiced support during the debate, calling the measure a racial-equity and reentry policy that would help residents who have served their sentences. Several councilors asked to be added as cosponsors; the clerk then called a roll and the resolution passed unanimously.

The resolution references pending bills and committee assignments discussed in the meeting materials and the text read to the council. Speakers identified bills by the filing numbers provided in the resolution text (H1693 and S1124; H1811 and S1114) and said the measures were filed by state legislators including Senator Cindy Friedman and Representative Andy Vargas, and that related bills were filed by Senator Adam Gomez and other sponsors. The council resolution urges the Legislature to pass the referenced Clean Slate bills during the current legislative session.

The council’s action is a formal expression of support; it does not change state law. City councilors and advocates urged Springfield’s state delegation to act and said local endorsements can help build momentum at the State House. The resolution will be transmitted to the municipal and state delegates named in the text.

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Speakers and council records show the policy debate focused on automating sealing for eligible cases, clarifying that automation would not expand eligibility beyond existing statutory waiting periods and that immediate sealing for cases ending in dismissal was part of companion bills discussed. Advocates emphasized outreach, court capacity and backlogs as implementation challenges that would need legislative and administrative attention.