That law is not just right. It’s also smart. But we have been lousy about putting it into practice.

Only 10 percent of those eligible to have their records sealed here have actually done it, according to The Clean Slate Initiative, an advocacy group. That’s because we’ve made it impossibly complicated.

Having a criminal record is an enormous obstacle for people who have done their time and are trying to rebuild their lives. A conviction, even a minor one, even from long ago, can mean being rejected by employers and denied by landlords. Cases that were dismissed, or which prosecutors dropped, and even many that ended in not guilty findings also show up on criminal background checks. That can keep someone from getting life insurance, credit, a real estate license, and other professional certifications. It also means they can’t volunteer at their kids’ schools or coach Little League.

“I have grown men in my office crying because they can’t get housing,” said Leslie Credle, who heads Justice 4 Housing, which helps move formerly incarcerated people into permanent homes. “Individuals who were once breadwinners come home and now they’re a burden to their family. It’s a lifetime sentence … even if you have done your time.”

Maybe you’ve gotten this far and are thinking this doesn’t affect you. It does.

Nearly half of US children have at least one parent with a criminal record. People with solid jobs and stable housing are more likely to support their families and communities. They are more likely to fill vacancies at all kinds of businesses that need more workers to thrive. They are also way less likely to reoffend, or to rely on public benefits.

So why have we made the process so much harder than it needs to be?

Right now, a person who has served her time and stayed out of trouble for the waiting period must petition the commissioner of probation in writing, or go before a judge. It’s needlessly complex, requiring time and familiarity with a backlogged and sometimes hostile system. And that’s if they know they can get their records sealed in the first place.

“It’s like double jeopardy,” said Shay, 36, who finally got hers sealed a few years ago. “You can’t try somebody twice for the same crime, but you can double punish them. In my case, I was punished triple.”

Shay, who asked that her last name be withheld, was 22 when she was convicted of carrying a dangerous weapon — a misdemeanor. She did six months in jail, paid thousands in fines and other costs, and had a successful probation. Since then, her record has held her back in ways big and small.

“I had to keep explaining it to people when I wanted to get a job and apply for housing,” she said. “I could not go on any field trips with my daughter, so now she had to suffer.” They had to stay on other people’s couches for months because a landlord ran a background check and gave an apartment to someone else.

Shay knew she could seal her record, thanks to Greater Boston Legal Services. But doing it, even with an attorney’s help, was a whole other thing. Her first application got lost somewhere between the post office and the probation department, which cost her a year. It took two years to process her second application, she said.

“Now here we are, years later, and it’s no longer a burden I have to worry about,” said Shay, who now works to help those with records get into the cannabis industry.

She’s doing well now, but why should it ever be this hard?

In 13 other states — including Oklahoma, Michigan, and Utah — they automatically seal criminal records after someone has met the conditions. It’s embarrassing that Massachusetts hasn’t joined them yet. Legislators have introduced measures to automatically seal eligible criminal records a bunch of times since 2019, but they’ve gone nowhere.

Clean Slate Massachusetts is working to make this time different, with the help of a huge coalition of community partners, including business leaders who understand we all thrive when more people can find work and stability. Yet again, legislators have proposed two bills that would require the state to automatically seal records in cases that are already eligible under the law.

So much about this country is messed up right now. Here is something we can actually fix.

What the heck are we waiting for?

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This story has been updated to correct the charge of which Shay was convicted.

Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham can be reached at yvonne.abraham@globe.com.

Most of the MBTA is back to regular service after Monday’s blizzard, but one commuter line remains on a modified schedule.

Riders of the Fall River/New Bedford MBTA Commuter Rail Line are hoping for things to be back to normal soon. The overwhelming amount of snow was still slowing things down Wednesday.

Ana Berahe is back in Brockton after traveling abroad. She’s never heard the word “delay” so many times in her life, from flights to train rides.

“I’m super happy, because it’s been three days that I was supposed to be home,” she said.

Phillip Eng, general manager of the MBTA and interim secretary of MassDOT, speaks about transportation in the wake of a major blizzard.

In Fall River, streets remained blanketed and cars buried with snow on Wednesday afternoon. Crews are working around the clock to make roads passable.

Keolis shared video of crews clearing train tracks Wednesday.

“I’m waiting on the train, or I’m waiting in the cold, out here, in the slush,” said commuter Aaliyah Alba.

“It was a little bit of a problem, just because they were doing the bus from Fall River to Taunton,” said Jeremy Williams of Brockton. “It was a little delayed, but other than that, it was fine.”

When Drew Baker and Maddie McNamara learned a massive blizzard was barreling down on the region, threatening to disrupt their carefully planned wedding day in Boston, they were in a bit of denial. They held onto hope the forecast would change, but the projected snow totals and wind gusts grew more daunting by the day.

On Monday, the young couple awoke to snow furiously swirling outside their window at the Newbury Hotel. Hardly able to see beyond a few feet, Baker and McNamara, who grew up together in Sudbury, could only laugh.

They were initially disappointed, but soon realized “this would make for a truly unique and unforgettable story,” Baker, 27, who works in data analytics and lives in Boston with McNamara, 27, an attorney, said by email.

They would get married during a historic winter storm, the Blizzard of ’26. Just them, in a hushed city blanketed in snow.

Baker and McNamara had their first brush with love in eighth grade, dating for a little while. They remained good friends through high school and rekindled their romance after both moved to Boston in 2021, Baker recalled.

A little over a year ago, Baker proposed to McNamara in the Seaport, on a pier near a spot they used to go to dinner while looking out at the water.

“We love everything about one another,” he said.

They originally arranged to hold their ceremony at the Boston Public Library on Monday, a small and intimate gathering with their immediate families by their side. When it became clear the weather wasn’t going to cooperate, stress set in and the couple tried to come up with backup options, Baker said.

“All of which also fell through,” he said. “Which led us to what we did.”

The couple never considered postponing their wedding. They were committed to the date and didn’t want to wait another moment to start their married life together, Baker said.

They booked a longer stay at the hotel and celebrated with their families over dinner at 1928 Beacon Hill on Sunday evening. Their loved ones headed home before the storm arrived.

The next morning, as the storm raged, the couple read their vows to each other from the comfort of their suite. They got ready together, with McNamara stepping out to put on her long, white gown and returning to share a quiet, emotional moment with her betrothed.

When it came time for the ceremony that evening, the couple was joined in the hotel room by their wedding photographer, their officiant, and the officiant’s fiancée, Baker said. Their families tuned in on FaceTime.

“It was such a surreal moment to talk to them [after] and still have them there virtually, despite all of the snow,” he said. “They were all so supportive and knew this would make for such a funny story to look back on.”

Newly married, the couple braved the storm to take pictures around the city, leaving their winter gear back at the hotel.

They smiled together on an empty Newbury Street, made snow angels and threw snowballs in the Public Garden, and jumped into the growing piles of snow on Commonwealth Avenue. In a world apart, like a snow globe made just for them, they embraced and kissed.

“It was so special to spend that moment together as the snow came down,” Baker said.

At the end of April, they will travel to Japan for their honeymoon.

“We will always look back on this day thankful that we have each other,” he added. “We know that no matter what happens, we will be there for each other and always make the most out of any situation.”

Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.