Pardon applicants with federal waivers could seek earlier D.C. recommendations

D.C.’s clemency board could give applicants permission to skip the five-year wait. This would cover people seeking presidential pardons for crimes under D.C. law. Applicants would have to ask in writing. The federal pardon office would have to notify the Board that the President or Pardon Attorney had waived the same wait. Applicants on probation, parole, or supervised release would be ineligible. The Board could still deny a request. The five years run from release from confinement, or from conviction if no prison sentence was imposed.

The Board would pause its review and notify applicants of its waiver decision in writing. This process would apply to applicants who ask the Board to waive the five-year wait. The Board could ask for more information or request a meeting about the waiver. The bill would take effect after the Mayor’s approval or a veto override, a 30-day congressional review period, and publication in the D.C. Register.