Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Dec 8, 2016
Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2016
This bill amends the federal criminal code to establish a process to expunge an individual's records related to a nonviolent criminal offense. A nonviolent criminal offense is a federal misdemeanor or felony offense that: (1) does not include, as an element, the use of a weapon or violence; and (2) does not involve violence in its commission.
To be eligible for expungement, an individual must: be a first-time offender; avoid drug or alcohol dependency or abuse; obtain a high school diploma; complete one year of community service; and fulfill the requirements of a court-ordered sentence, such as complete a prison term, meet the conditions of supervised release, and pay fines.
Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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