“This anti-poverty, pro-job opportunity Clean Slate legislation will reinvigorate the economic potential of hundreds of thousands of Michiganders whose records have hindered their availability to get a job or secure housing, and it will help us grow our workforce,” said Gilchrist. Garlin Gilchrist, also a Democrat, said the bills would help reduce the collateral damage that comes with convictions for minor crimes and provide economic opportunity for past offenders. Michigan voters approved legislation to legalize the recreational use of cannabis in 2018 and legal retail sales began in the state late last year. The Clean Slate bills include a measure that allows for the expungement of previous convictions for marijuana offenses no longer illegal under state law. I am proud to sign these bills today alongside Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist and many of the bipartisan leaders who worked on them.” “This is also an opportunity to grow our workforce and expand access to job training and education for so many people. These bipartisan bills are a game-changer for people who are seeking opportunities for employment, housing, and more, and they will help ensure a clean slate for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders,” Democrat Whitmer said in a press release. The ‘Clean Slate’ bills, as the legislative package of six measures is known, was passed by Michigan lawmakers last month. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday signed a package of bills designed to reform the state’s process for expunging past criminal convictions.