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Illinois employers now have yet another law to navigate. The state human rights statute now bans discrimination based on a candidate’s or employee’s criminal conviction unless the employer can show a “substantial relationship” exists between the conviction and the job or that the employment would involve an “unreasonable risk” to property or safety. Conviction Records […]
Ban the box laws and Second Chance programs that help ex-offenders in the United States are spreading fast across the country. The National Employment Law Project (NELP) estimates that approximately 70 million people in America—or nearly one in three U.S. adults—have some type of criminal record that may hinder employment opportunities.
A ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas—has handed the state of Texas a win in its fight against Obama-era guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) related to the use of criminal record checks in hiring.
New research shows that hiring managers are becoming more accepting of candidates with criminal records in the wake of the recruiting crisis.
Ban the box laws that remove the box on applications that job applicants are asked to check if they have a criminal record are now more the rule than the exception for Human Resources professionals when screening applicants. As of March 2018, 30 states and more than 150 cities and counties have ban the box […]
by Tara Z. Hall While not a true “ban the box” measure, a new Iowa law taking effect January 1 will allow exonerated individuals to keep past criminal charges from becoming known to potential employers. The measure, signed into law last spring, sets up a process for individuals who have been wrongfully accused of a […]
President Barack Obama’s plan to issue a “ban the box” Executive Order may not directly affect nonfederal government employers, but it continues a movement in both the public and private sectors against considering criminal history early in the hiring process. A White House fact sheet issued November 2, the same day Obama traveled to New […]
by Steven L. Brenneman Illinois employers need to be aware of a few new laws taking effect January 1. Ban the box One of the new laws, the Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act, prohibits most private-sector employers and employment agencies with 15 or more employees from asking applicants about their criminal histories and conducting […]
by Jeffrey A. Gruen New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed the state’s “ban the box” legislation, meaning that most employers will be prohibited from asking applicants about their criminal histories until the conclusion of the first job interview. The legislature passed the Opportunity to Compete Act in June, and Christie signed it on August […]
by Andrew J. Sommer and Alka Ramchandani San Francisco’s new “ban the box” law, titled the Fair Chance Ordinance, will limit the timing and scope of inquiries into an applicant’s or employee’s criminal history when it takes effect August 13. In addition to banning inquiries into criminal history on job applications, the ordinance also places […]