A Missouri bill would automatically expunge the criminal records of thousands of residents convicted of certain nonviolent crimes. Known as the Clean Slate Act, the measure is the latest version of a campaign that's met defeat for the past three years in the Missouri legislature.
That trend has already changed in 2026. Last week, HB 2747 was approved by the House of Representatives with a vote of 140 to 7 — marking the first time that the Clean Slate Act has advanced to the state Senate.
Missouri already has an expungement system that allows people convicted of certain misdemeanors and felonies to petition the court to seal their records. Under state law, violent crimes, including "dangerous felonies," felony assaults and domestic violence, are not eligible for expungement.
However, the system "is not working as it was intended to work," said Mallory Rusch, executive director of Empower Missouri and one of the campaign's leaders.
"The reason that we know that is that less than 1% of people who are eligible for these expungements are actually receiving them on an annual basis," Rusch said. "The process is very complicated, and it's very expensive. What we have heard over the years is that it's basically impossible to achieve without hiring a lawyer."
The obstacles mean that thousands of Missourians continue to live with criminal records. Patty Berger, president of the St. Louis chapter of All of Us or None, which advocates for formerly incarcerated people, said the group's members lose opportunities for employment and housing because of their background checks.
Even a decades-old felony or misdemeanor can cause problems. "As far as renting or finding a job, it makes a difference," she said.
Making the expungement process automatic would also remove ambiguity and confusion from the process. Berger noted that some formerly incarcerated people "are not aware of how the [expungement] laws work, and when they do try, they get overwhelmed and stop before they even start."
In February, Illinois became the 13th state to pass a version of the Clean Slate Act. The Illinois law will go into effect in 2029 and affect an estimated 2 million people, WBEZ reported.
To hear the full conversation about Missouri's Clean Slate Act with Mallory Rusch and Patty Berger – including their reaction to Illinois' successful campaign and comments from Live Free Illinois' Artinese Myrik — listen to "St. Louis on the Air" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
"St. Louis on the Air" brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Layla Halilbasic is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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