Shore Legal Access

When Gloria came to Shore Legal Access for help, she was a top student at her college. As an older student, she worked hard just to remain in school while she raised her family. Then it came time to apply for her nursing license, and the background check pulled up old records from mistakes she had made in her youth. Mistakes that she had already paid the price for and learned from. With legal assistance, Gloria was able to get these old misdemeanor records removed from public view so that she could move on with her life and put her hard-earned education into action in the health care field.

Did you know that over 1 million Marylanders have some form of criminal record just like Gloria? That’s 22% of adults in our state! Even though many of these records are legally eligible for expungement, only 2% of people with eligible records get relief.

The Maryland Clean Slate Act of 2026 will help Marylanders build better lives by modernizing and automating the state’s record shielding process for legally eligible misdemeanors. Increasing access to record shielding increases community safety and improves the economy because it allows people to secure better employment, stable housing, and access more professional and community leadership opportunities. Research suggests that when people with past convictions secure stable employment and housing, they are less likely to reoffend, contributing to safer communities overall.

Shore Legal Access and its partners in the Maryland Clean Slate Coalition are asking Maryland’s General Assembly to pass the Clean Slate Act of 2026, and join the growing number of jurisdictions, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington DC, that have adopted similar reforms. By modernizing our state’s record shielding process, Marylanders will have expanded opportunities, our families will be stronger, and our economy will be improved. For more information about the bill and to join the growing network of advocates, go to cleanlslatemaryland.org.