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PR26-0103 • 2025

Second Chance Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Second Chance Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Pinto
Last action
2025-03-14
Official status
Approved
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the nature of the errors or how they will be corrected, only that emergency legislation is needed to resolve them.

Second Chance Clarification Emergency Declaration

This resolution declares an emergency to correct drafting errors in the Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022, which deals with sealing nonconviction records.

What This Bill Does

  • Declares that there is an emergency situation due to errors in a law about sealing criminal records.
  • Identifies two drafting errors in the timeline for sealing certain types of nonconvictions.
  • Requires immediate action to correct these mistakes.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People with criminal records who want their records sealed or expunged.
  • Government agencies responsible for implementing the Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022.

Terms To Know

Second Chance Amendment Act
A law that allows certain criminal records to be sealed or removed from public view.
Emergency Declaration
A statement by the government saying there is an urgent situation that needs quick action.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The resolution does not change any specific dates but requires fixing errors in existing timelines.
  • It only addresses issues found within the Second Chance Amendment Act and its amendments.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-14 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Resolution R26-0055, Effective from Mar 04, 2025 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 002691

  2. 2025-03-04 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Retained by the Council

  3. 2025-03-04 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Legislative Meeting

  4. 2025-03-04 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Approved with Resolution Number R26-0055

  5. 2025-03-03 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    PR26-0103 Introduced by Councilmember Pinto at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Second Chance Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED ORIGINAL

A RESOLUTION

26-55

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

March 4, 2025

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Second Chance
Amendment Act of 2022 to clarify the timeline for the automatic sealing of
nonconvictions.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Second Chance Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution
of 2025”.

Sec. 2. (a) The Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022, effective March 10, 2023 (D.C.
Law 24-284; 70 DCR 913) (“Second Chance”), was enacted to expand the categories of criminal
records and court proceedings eligible for sealing or expungement.
(b) Second Chance has subsequently been amended by the following amendatory acts to
make changes to certain applicability dates and deadlines contained in the act:
(1) The Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Support Act of 2023, effective September 6,
2023 (D.C. Law 25-50; 70 DCR 10366);
(2) The Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024, effective June 8, 2024
(D.C. Law 25-175; 71 DCR 2732); and
(3) The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024, effective September 18,
2024 (D.C. Law 25-217; 71 DCR 9990).
(c) The Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety identified 2 drafting errors in the
amended section 16-805(c)(1) within section 101(b) of Second Chance that would inadvertently
move up the timeline of certain provisions of the law by more than 2 years and would
immediately deem the implementing agencies noncompliant for the previous 2 years.
(d) Therefore, emergency legislation is needed to resolve these errors.

Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Second
Chance Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 be adopted after a single reading.

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.