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ESR News: Background Check News from Employment Screening Resources®

Social Media Password Privacy Laws Passed in Several US States in Recent Months

Posted June 19, 2013 — By Tom Ahearn, ESR News Editor

Legislation has been introduced or is pending in at least 36 states so far in 2013 to prevent employers from requesting usernames and passwords to social media websites and personal Internet accounts of employees and job applicants, according the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Eight states – Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington – have enacted such legislation in 2013. A current list of all social media password privacy legislation is available at http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/telecom/employer-access-to-social-media-passwords-2013.aspx. Read More…

New Texas Law Protects Employers Performing Background Checks and Encourages Employment of Ex-Offenders

Posted June 18, 2013 — By Tom Ahearn, ESR News Editor

A new law in Texas – H.B. 1188 – signed by Governor Rick Perry on June 14, 2013 will amend the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code so that “a cause of action may not be brought against an employer, general contractor, premises owner, or other third party solely for negligently hiring or failing to adequately supervise an employee, based on evidence that the employee has been convicted of an offense.” More information about Texas H.B. 1188, which will become effective on September 1, 2013, is available at http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=83R&Bill=HB1188. Read More…

Ten Dollar Public Court Record Search Fee Defeated in California Legislature

Posted June 17, 2013 — By Tom Ahearn, ESR News Editor

A proposal put forward by the a trailer bill written by the California Administrative Office of the Courts from a trailer bill that would have resulted in a $10 charge per file to look at court records has been defeated in the California Legislature, according to a report on the Courthouse News Service website. The story about the defeated fee proposal, which would have significantly limited press and public access to court documents, is available at http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/06/12/58458.htm. Read More…

Safe Hiring Manual Author Lester Rosen to Sign Books at SHRM 2013 Annual Conference

Posted June 14, 2013 — By Tom Ahearn, ESR News Editor

Attorney Lester S. Rosen, author of a comprehensive guide to background checks titled ‘The Safe Hiring Manual’ (Facts on Demand Press / 736 Pages), will sign books on two days during the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Rosen, the Founder and CEO of Employment Screening Resources® (ESR), will be available to sign books Tuesday, June 18, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 5:45 PM and Wednesday, June 19, 2013 from 11:30 AM to 11:45 AM outside of the main SHRM Store at the conference. More information about ‘The Safe Hiring Manual’ 2nd Edition published in October 2012 is available at http://www.esrcheck.com/SafeHiringManual.php. Read More…

EEOC Sends Message to Employers that Criminal Records of Job Applicants Must Be Used Carefully

Posted June 13, 2013 — By Tom Ahearn, ESR News Editor

In the Wall Street Journal article ‘Employment Checks Fuel Race Complaints,’ Attorney Lester Rosen, Founder and CEO of background check company Employment Screening Resources® (ESR), says the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been delivering the same message to employers since the 1980s: “Criminal records need to be used carefully, not with brute force, more as a surgical instrument.” The article, which catalogues the increased scrutiny of background checks by the EEOC, is available at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323495604578539283518855020.html. Read More…