Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) and Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) have introduced the “Fresh Start Act of 2025,” legislation aimed at helping states modernize their criminal justice data infrastructure to facilitate automatic expungement and sealing of eligible criminal records.

The bill establishes a grant program under which the attorney general may award up to $5 million to each eligible state. To qualify, states must have a “covered expungement law” in place, defined as a law providing for the automatic expungement or sealing of criminal records without requiring any action by the individual.

Additionally, to receive a grant, a state’s law must ensure that expungement or sealing is not delayed due to a person’s inability to pay a fine or fee. States must also apply detail

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