Dear John,

When I was 17 years old, I spray painted on streets and highways across California. It was reckless and harmful. At 35, with a career and a family, I couldn’t even imagine doing anything like that now. I’m one of the lucky ones, because I didn’t get caught.

But, if I had, I likely would’ve carried around a criminal record for the last 18 years, and run into roadblocks when trying to get into college, or applying for jobs, or renting an apartment. And, if I still had my small business running—a consulting firm—the Trump administration might try to exclude me from getting help under the Paycheck Protection Program.

More than 70 million people have a criminal record—that’s one in three working-age adults. With at least 45,000 laws and statutes serving as barriers to education, employment, and housing, those 70 million people face unnecessary hurdles for their entire lives, even after finishing their sentences.

Rather than working together to break down the barriers for people with a criminal record, the Trump administration has added another obstacle that will have serious consequences.

In late March Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security or CARES Act, which included $350 billion in forgivable loans for the Paycheck Protection Program—to help small businesses keep their employees on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The CARES Act didn’t contain any exclusions, but the Trump administration later added a rule to prevent many small business owners who have criminal records or who have participated in a diversion program from obtaining a forgivable Small Business Administration loan.

Diversion programs exist so that people accused of minor mistakes—things like petty theft or simple drug possession—have an off-ramp from the justice system that protects them from the lifelong burden of a criminal record.

This move will hurt small businesses, their owners, and their employees.

Let the administration know their criminal justice reform rollbacks will hurt, not help.

This requirement is a solution that is in search of a problem. It will keep hard-working, highly qualified business owners from getting the relief they need during this unprecedented financial crisis.

Make your voice heard!

Tell the Trump administration that small business owners need help during this financial crisis and that criminal justice reform rollbacks will hurt, not help.

Thanks for being in this fight,

Brent J. Cohen
Executive Director
Generation Progress