That small bar brawl ten years ago or that reckless college decision to streak across campus will no longer prevent residents from finding employment. On Monday, the governor signed a new law sealing misdemeanor records which will give reformed offenders a second chance.

"We should not let people’s past mistakes ruin their chances for gainful employment,” said State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago), who worked with State Representative Rita Mayfield on the measure. “When former offenders cannot find a legal means to support themselves, they turn to crime. This law will end the cycle by sealing the records of misdemeanor offenses.”

The law gives law-abiding individuals a chance to ask the courts to consider sealing the records of minor offenses that happened over three years ago.

Studies show that 65 percent of employers would not hire individuals with criminal convictions regardless of the crime’s severity. Former offenders also face difficulties finding housing. Over 40 percent of property owners reject apartment applicants with any criminal history.

“Allowing former offenders to become self-sufficient and productive members of society will stop jails from serving as state-funded housing options,” Hunter said. “Let’s give our state’s former offenders a real chance at a new life.”

A diverse coalition of businesses and community organizations, including Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and the Cook County Public Defender, supported the cost-saving legislation. The law would save Illinois millions of dollars in corrections costs.

The law does not allow the courts to seal records of domestic battery, gun crimes, sex-related crimes or felony convictions of any kind. Nor does it make any conviction eligible for expungement.

The bill aims to eliminate discrimination but does not create an endless get-out-of-jail-free card. House Bill 2378 goes into effect January 1, 2015.