,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dafa ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #ah1 #bjbd,ms4 ,rosen introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,attorney ,general to make grants to ,states1 units of local government1 and ,indian ,tribes to reduce the financial and administrative burden of expunging convictions for cannabis offenses1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,harnessing ,opportunities by ,pursuing ,expungement ,act of #bjbd or the ,,hope ,act of #bjbd4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,cannabis ,the term cannabis means marijuana or cannabis1 as defined under the ,state law authorizing the sale or use of cannabis in which an individual or entity is located4 7#b7 ,cannabis offense ,the term cannabis offense means a criminal offense relating to cannabis-- 7,a7 that1 under ,state law-- 7i7 is no longer an offense2 or 7ii7 was designated a lesser offense2 or 7,b7 for which the penalty under ,state law-- 7i7 was reduced pursuant to or following the adoption of a ,state law authorizing the sale or use of cannabis2 7ii7 does not include jail time2 or 7iii7 includes some jail time following the adoption of a ,state law substantially reducing the amount of jail time4 7#c7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means a ,state1 a unit of local government1 or an ,indian ,tribe4 7#d7 ,indian ,tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given the term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#e7 ,state ,the term ,state means each of the several ,states of the ,united ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 and any commonwealth or territory of the ,united ,states4 7#f7 ,unit of local government ,the term unit of local government means a county1 municipality1 town1 township1 village1 parish1 borough1 or other unit of general government below the ,state level4 #c4 ,state ,expungement ,opportunity ,grant ,program 7a7 ,authorization ,the ,attorney ,general may award grants to eligible entities to reduce the financial and administrative burden of expunging convictions for cannabis offenses that are available for individuals who have been convicted of cannabis offenses under the laws of the ,state4 7b7 ,name of program ,the grant program established under this section shall be known as the ,state ,expungement ,opportunity ,grant ,program4 7c7 ,application ,the chief executive of an eligible entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the ,attorney ,general an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,attorney ,general may reasonably require4 7d7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use funds from the grant-- 7#a7 for technology to provide cost-effective legal relief at scale2 7#b7 to automate the process of expunging convictions for cannabis offenses2 7#c7 for clinics1 including legal clinics1 that assist individuals through the expungement process2 7#d7 to implement the notice requirement described in subsection 7e72 7#e7 to seal records of conviction for cannabis offenses1 if appropriate2 and 7#f7 for other innovative partnerships to provide wide-scale relief to individuals who are eligible for the expungement of a conviction for a cannabis offense under the laws of the ,state4 7e7 ,notice requirement ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall-- 7#a7 publish on a publicly accessible website information about the availability and process of expunging convictions for cannabis offenses1 including information for individuals living in an area other than the area under the jurisdiction of the eligible entity who were convicted of a cannabis offense in the area under the jurisdiction of the eligible entity2 and 7#b7 implement a process to notify each individual convicted of a cannabis offense-- 7,a7 when the expungement process has begun2 and 7,b7 when the expungement is complete1 including1 if applicable1 when an official certificate of expungement 7or any other similar document used by the eligible entity7 has been issued4 7f7 ,report ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall submit to the ,attorney ,general a report describing-- 7#a7 the uses of funds from the grant2 and 7#b7 how many convictions for cannabis offenses have been expunged using funds from the grant4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,attorney ,general to carry out this section #b1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbe through #bjcd4 #d4 ,study on the impact of criminal offenses related to cannabis 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall submit to ,congress and make publicly available on the website of the ,department of ,justice a report on a study conducted on-- 7#a7 the effects of the appearance on an individual's criminal record report of a conviction for a criminal offense relating to cannabis1 including-- 7,a7 disqualifying the individual from future opportunities in housing and employment2 7,b7 increasing the likelihood that the individual will have future involvement with the criminal justice system2 7,c7 how any such effects differ based on demographics1 including race2 and 7,d7 any other matters determined appropriate by the ,attorney ,general2 and 7#b7 the costs incurred by ,states for incarcerating an individual convicted for a criminal offense relating to cannabis4 7b7 ,clarification ,the report submitted under subsection 7a7 may not include any personally identifiable information4