Thank you for all your letters and calls. On Tuesday, March 25th, AB 1756 passed out of the Assembly Public Safety Committee!!!
AB 1756, the Starting Over Strong bill, seeks to eliminate the fee for juvenile record sealing and make the record sealing remedy equally accessible to all California youth. Specifically, AB 1756 will make non-707(b) offenses mandatorily sealable at the time that juvenile court jurisdiction terminates.
Now that we are out of the Public Safety Committee, the bill goes next to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Please continue to support AB 1756. Send a NEW letter of support to Mike Gatto, the Chair of Assembly Appropriations, by Wednesday, April 16th. You can use the sample letter here. THANK YOU!!!
[SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION’S LETTERHEAD]
[DATE]
RE: SUPPORT FOR AB 1756 “STARTING OVER STRONG” (SKINNER)
Dear Assemblymember Gatto,
[SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION] strongly supports AB 1756. This bill improves economic outcomes for California’s youth and, in so doing, protects public safety by eliminating an unnecessary barrier to reentry for youth who are eligible for and seeking the juvenile record sealing remedy.
[ADD BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION AND INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE]
Juvenile records can create barriers to employment and housing for young people. An unsealed juvenile record can appear on a background checks, and lead to an unfairly adverse employment or housing decision. Without stable employment and housing, there is a higher chance that young people will recidivate and become involved in the adult criminal justice system.
Current law allows counties to charge young people up to $150 for sealing their juvenile record; a prohibitively expensive cost for California’s poor youth. An inability to access the juvenile record remedy can result in an inability to access stable employment and housing.
AB 1756 makes record-sealing more affordable for one of California’s most vulnerable populations—its youth. This fee, as currently imposed, does not generate substantial revenue, and, even if it did, we should use this opportunity to invest in and support our youth instead of saddling them with additional financial burden. By eliminating the fee for record sealing for youth under age twenty-six, AB 1756 will increase public safety and reduce recidivism. The bill will also increase court efficiency by streamlining the sealing process into one court hearing at the time that juvenile court jurisdiction is terminated as opposed to two separate events
AB 1756 is a small change that will positively impact public safety and economic opportunity for California youth in big ways. For these reasons, we strongly support AB 1756.
Sincerely,
[NAME, TITLE]
CC: Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, fax: 916-319-2115