The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed an appropriations bill (H.R. 5326) that provides funding for several agencies including the allocation of $367 million the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) but also includes amendments that would block implementation and enforcement of several programs including the new EEOC guidance on the ‘Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’ for employers using criminal background checks. The full text of H.R. 5326 is available at: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr5326/text. (more…)

To help Human Resources professionals understand the current trends, best practices, and legal developments affecting due diligence and hiring, Attorney Lester Rosen, CEO of Employment Screening Resources (ESR), will present a webinar titled ‘The Top 10 Trends for Background Checks in 2012’ for the Professionals In Human Resources Association (PIHRA) on Friday, May 18, 2012 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Pacific Time. To register for this program, which is approved for 1.0 general recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute, visit: PIHRA Webinar ‘The Top 10 Trends for Background Checks in 2012’. (more…)

Attorney Lester Rosen, founder and CEO of background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR), has submitted a letter of public comment to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency that enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, regarding the April 25, 2012 meeting where the EEOC voted 4-1 to approve updated Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The letter is available at: http://www.esrcheck.com/Les-Rosen-Public-Comment-on-EEOC-Criminal-Guidance.php. (more…)

Recent news reports about how an employee of Wells Fargo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was fired after a background check uncovered two 40-year-old shoplifting arrests from 1972 when she was 18 do not tell the entire story, according to one safe hiring expert, since there are two avenues that allow applicants and employees with minor offenses to work at banks. A Wells Fargo spokesman said the 58-year-old woman, who worked in customer service in the Home Mortgage department for five years and received numerous recognition awards, was terminated because Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) law prohibits the bank “from hiring or continuing the employment of any person who we know has a criminal record involving dishonesty or breach of trust.” (more…)

On May 4, 2012, many of the new provisions of the Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Reform Law, Chapter 256 of the Acts of 2010 signed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in August of 2010 will take effect. Commonly known as ‘CORI Reform,’ the law changes who will have authorized access to CORI and how CORI will be accessed.  As a result of the CORI Reform, the Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) will replace the existing CORI system with a new secure, web-based system called ‘iCORI’ that should be available on May 7, 2012. (more…)