The proposed bill, known as the Residential Tenant Clean Slate Act, aims to provide a mechanism for sealing eviction records to help tenants move forward without the stigma of past evictions. It defines key terms such as "clean slate relief," "eviction proceeding," "landlord," "tenant," and "trial court," and establishes the conditions under which a tenant can petition for clean slate relief. Specifically, if a trial court dismisses an eviction proceeding, it is required to grant clean slate relief immediately. Additionally, tenants can petition for relief under various circumstances, including if a judgment against them is reversed or if they were evicted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill outlines the process for tenants to file petitions for clean slate relief, including serving notice to other parties involved in the eviction proceeding and the conditions under which the court must grant or deny the petition. It also stipulates that once clean slate relief is granted, the eviction records will not be part of the public record, and landlords cannot consider prior evictions in housing applications. The act is set to become operative on January 1, 2026, and allows the State Court Administrator to create necessary regulations to implement the act.