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 includes specific provisions regarding the waiver process, such as the requirement for the Board to provide written notice of its decision to the applicant and the possibility of requesting additional information to support the waiver request. This change aims to align the District's clemency process with the Department of Justice's existing authority to grant similar waivers, ensuring that applicants who have received a waiver from the federal level are not deemed ineligible by the Board. The bill is expected to be implemented without requiring additional resources, as the existing staff can manage the review and decision-making process for waiver requests.