Congress has chance to wipe the slate clean for formerly convicted. They should take it.

A third of American adults have an arrest or criminal record of some kind. Regardless of the nature of the charge or its disposition in court, that record can be like a scarlet R, haunting people for life as they seek jobs, an apartment or admission to college. Any boss or landlord conducting a background check can see the public record, assume the worst and decline to take a risk.