The "Clemency Board Waiver Authority Amendment Act of 2025" seeks to amend the Clemency Board Establishment Act of 2018 by granting the Clemency Board of the District of Columbia the authority to waive the five-year waiting period for applicants seeking a pardon. Currently, applicants must wait five years after their release from confinement or five years after their conviction before applying for clemency. The proposed amendment allows the Board to grant a waiver if it receives notice from the Office of the Pardon Attorney that a waiver has been provided by the Pardon Attorney or the President of the United States. However, the Board retains the discretion to decline a waiver request even if such notice is received, and it cannot grant a waiver if the applicant is on probation, parole, or supervised release.

The amendment introduces a new subsection (f) to Section 205 of the Clemency Board Establishment Act, detailing the conditions under which the Board may grant a waiver. This includes the requirement for written notice to the applicant regarding the Board's decision on the waiver request and the possibility for the Board to request additional information from the applicant. The bill aims to align the District's clemency process more closely with the Department of Justice's practices, ensuring that applicants who have received a waiver from the DOJ are not automatically deemed ineligible by the Board.