This report argues that Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate Act is both important and necessary because of the assistance it provides, even with the current issues that exist. However, the legislature must develop solutions to address these issues so that Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate Act can be as positive an influence as possible; Pennsylvania’s Act is just the first of many similar pieces of legislation slated to be enacted in the near future.

This report is comprised of three parts.

• Part I explains the background of the Clean Slate Act, including its content, policy rationales, the type of individuals it has helped, and the overall movement behind this kind of legislation in the United States and beyond.
• Part II discusses the issues with this piece of legislation.
• Part III discusses solutions to resolve these issues.

For a variety of reasons, this report recommends that, given the importance of the issue and the importance of this Act as a model for future legislation, reform should be attempted, including such that is informed by legislative examples from other jurisdictions.