HARRISBURG (TNS) — The state House on Monday approved a bill that would automatically seal certain eviction records, seeking to address a trend of housing instability that is particularly acute in the Harrisburg area.

The bill, which passed 105-98, functions similarly to Pennsylvania’s previous “clean slate” laws, which have thus far only been applied to criminal proceedings and not to civil cases like landlord-tenant disputes.

Under the bill, records of eviction proceedings would no longer appear on public docket databases after seven years, or would be sealed immediately if the case was decided in favor of the tenant.

Given that many landlords will not rent to prospective tenants who have any eviction filings on their record, the proposal is an important second-chance measure, proponents said.

The fact that eviction cases — even those that didn’t result in the tenant’s removal — remain listed indefinitely “makes it harder for Pennsylvania families to find a home,” said Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster County, the bill’s prime sponsor.

“And on a personal note, I will include that it has made several of my constituents — including survivors of domestic violence — homeless because of the structure of the commonwealth law,” Smith-Wade-El said on the House floor Monday.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a moratorium on evictions was in effect as well as a federal cash assistance program for renters who were struggling. Once the moratorium was lifted and the money dried up, evictions came surging back as housing prices continued to climb, according to court and Census data collected by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania.

Dauphin and York counties are vying for the highest eviction rate in the state, according to that data. In 2022 and 2023, Dauphin’s eviction case rate was over 16% per year, or roughly one in every six home renters facing an eviction attempt.

The problem isn’t just in Harrisburg itself. In parts of Susquehanna Township, the eviction rate is over one in four households, part of a nationwide trend of housing instability expanding from cities into suburban zones, according to a study published in 2023.

Monday’s vote showed a clear partisan divide. All but two Democrats voted in favor of the bill, and only five Republicans supported it. GOP criticism came from those who felt the bill was encroaching on the ability of landlords to properly screen tenants.

“You have the right as a landlord to make sure the person you’re renting to is a good person, and not hide their background information,” said Rep. Dan Moul, R-Adams County.

The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors — the state’s influential real estate lobby — has come out in support of the bill. Gov. Josh Shapiro also endorsed sealing eviction records as part of his budget rollout earlier this year, one of several non-budget items that Shapiro included in his plan for the fiscal year.