In case you missed it… The Pennsylvania Capital-Star recently published an op-ed by PA Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Alex Halper in which he makes the business case for expanding Pennsylvania’s first-in-the-nation Clean Slate law in order to bolster the Commonwealth’s workforce.

First enacted in 2018, Pennsylvania’s groundbreaking Clean Slate law allows for the automatic sealing of old criminal records for low-level offenders who remain crime-free for a set period of time. Since its implementation, the Clean Slate law has helped over 1.2 million Pennsylvanians by encouraging many to rejoin the workforce – helping address labor shortages and contributing to the overall economic wellbeing of the Commonwealth.

In the op-ed, Halper argues that House Bill 689, bipartisan legislation expanding the Clean Slate law to extend to certain low-level, non-violent drug felonies (excluding dealing or trafficking), would prompt more of the Commonwealth’s formerly incarcerated population to apply for available jobs.

Citing the state’s severe workforce challenges and H.B. 689’s important employer liability protections, Halper argues this legislation will do more than just give otherwise law-abiding Pennsylvanians a well-deserved second chance; it will also help the state’s employers tap into a new pool of skilled workers.

Full text of the op-ed is available here. Halper previously spoke out in support of H.B. 689 alongside lawmakers and advocates at a press conference earlier this month. Click here to view his remarks.