ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) -- Officially taking effect over the weekend, New York's Clean Slate Act is now implemented into practice. It began Saturday, November 16th, exactly one calendar year after it was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, following the bill's passage in the legislature in June of 2023. It provides the automatic sealing of criminal records for millions of New Yorkers with a previous conviction, although there are exceptions. An estimated 2.3 million New Yorkers have an old conviction record which can severely limit access to jobs, housing and education, and not just for the immediate future but rather for years to come. On Monday, the Monroe County Library System hosted an information session for the general community titled 'Unlocking Second Chances', highlighting the purpose of what the law intends to do. "So, with Clean Slate, if someone hasn't committed a misdemeanor in at least three years or a felony in at least eight years, they're eligible to have their record sealed. There are still parameters set up in place so not everyone can get their record sealed such as if they have a sex offense, so they may be on the registry, or if they have a Class A felony they can't get their record sealed, but for the most part, everyone can get their record sealed," says Analeise Vasciannie, is a re-entry attorney with Legal Assistance of Western New York (also known as Law NY) which provides free legal services for those unable to afford representation. "People can take care of themselves, get themselves out of poverty and out of lack of access so this is great for Monroe County but more importantly for NYS as a whole," says Thomas Gant, a community organizer with the Center for Community Alternatives (CCA). CCA was one of several organizations partnering with the Library System to host the informational session Monday morning to afternoon. Residents interested in learning about the changes the new law will have gathered at the Kate Gleason Auditorium at Rochester's Central Library in the heart of Downtown. "One of the things I found in Monroe County is that we're rich in resources - it's siloed, right and so we want to not only give information about Clean Slate but also wanted to give them access to certain resources and other great humans and people doing great things in our community. We have a lot of organizations here that came out to support to let them know like, hey our doors are open - let's participate meaningfully," Gant added. Assemblymember Demond Meeks, who represents the State's 137th district, attended the event on Monday. He referenced an estimated $12 billion in lost wages across NYS in regard to how much of an economic impact the passage of the measure is expected to have. "The shift comes by way of having one of the most diverse state representatives in government than ever before in the history - more people of color, more women, that recognize some of these challenges and being intentional and pushing back against historic, systemic racist practices and their remnants for generations on, and I think that we have to be intentional in working in this space to affect not change today, but generational change," Meeks says. The Act also amends New York State’s Human Rights Law to prevent employers from asking applicants about sealed convictions or taking adverse action based on sealed convictions. Applicants asked about sealed convictions may lawfully respond as if the conviction did not occur. Additional outreach events are being planned for the future.