The Background Check Authority ®
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
A class action lawsuit filed in a New York federal court on August 4, 2017, could be the first of its kind to challenge alleged violations by employers of a New York City “Ban the Box” law called the Fair Chance Act (FCA), according to a press release from employment law firm Outten & Golden LLP, which filed the suit along with the nonprofit organization Youth Represent. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
The New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) – which enforces New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) – has amended rules to establish definitions and procedures applying to the Fair Chance Act (FCA) that took effect in October of 2015 to amend the NYCHRL provisions regarding unlawful discrimination on the basis of criminal history against job applicants and employees, and applicants for licenses, registrations, and permits. The rules take effect August 5, 2017. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
The University of California (UC) has adopted a Ban the Box policy where job applicants will no longer be asked to check a box on initial employment applications to indicate whether they have been convicted of a crime in order to remove barriers to opportunity and avoid discouraging qualified ex-offenders from applying to work at the universities, according to a news report on the UC website. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
Attorney Lester S. Rosen, founder and CEO of global background check firm Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) and author of “The Safe Hiring Manual,” will present a webinar for Business & Legal Resources (BLR) entitled “Ban the Box and Background Checks Update: How to Effectively Pre-Screen Prospective Job Candidates and Stay Within the Law” on Tuesday, July 25, 2017, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific. To register for this event, click here. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
A study released in January of 2017 entitled “Ban the Box, Convictions, and Public Sector Employment” has found that Ban the Box policies that remove criminal history questions from applications and delay such inquiries until later in the hiring process increased the odds of public sector employment for those job applicants with criminal records by close to 40 percent. This study may be downloaded here. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
On July 1, 2017, several “Ban the Box” laws – so called because they remove the box on job applications that applicants are asked to check if they have a criminal history and delay such questions until later in the hiring process – are scheduled to take effect in three states: Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has signed into law “Ban the Box” legislation – ACT 276 – House Bill 688 (HB 688) – that will prohibit public postsecondary education institutions from inquiring about the criminal history of prospective students prior to their acceptance for admission except for history pertaining to specific offenses. The Louisiana Ban the Box law takes effect on August 1, 2017. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
The Indiana General Assembly has passed legislation – Senate Bill 312 (SB 312) – to prohibit “political subdivisions” in the state such as counties, municipalities, and townships from passing “Ban the Box” laws that prevent employers from obtaining or using the criminal history information of job applicants during the hiring process to the extent allowed by federal or state laws and regulations. SB 312 takes effect July 1, 2017. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
On May 5, 2017, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that a Fair Chance Hiring Policy for state agencies will “Ban the Box” and remove criminal history questions from non-civil service employment applications for agencies under his jurisdiction, according to a news story on the Governor’s website. Continue reading
Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn
The state of Utah has joined the so-called “Ban the Box” movement to delay any questions by government employers about the criminal records of job applicants applying for state employment in order to give ex-offenders a fair chance to find work after release from prison, according to a report by the U.S. News & World Report. (UPDATE: The Indiana General Assembly has passed Indiana Senate Bill 312 that prohibits local governments in Indiana from adopting “Ban the Box” ordinances that interfere with an employer’s ability to obtain or use criminal history information during the hiring process to the extent allowed by state or federal law. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has said he will sign the bill, which takes effect on July 1, 2017.) Continue reading
