Best Practice Standards for Proper Use of Criminal Records in Hiring Addressed in New Report

A group of national civil and workers’ rights organizations has released a new report titled ‘Best Practice Standards: The Proper Use of Criminal Records in Hiring’ that addresses the use of criminal records of job applicants by employers during employment background checks. The organizations preparing the report include the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under…

US Senate Confirms New Commissioner of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jenny Yang to serve in the post of Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency that enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Her term will expire on July 1, 2017.  A ‘Senate Floor Wrap Up’ for Thursday, April 25, 2013, the date of confirmation, is available at http://democrats.senate.gov/2013/04/25/senate-floor-wrap-up-for-thursday-april-25-2013/.

Kansas City Passes Ban the Box Ordinance to Remove Questions about Criminal Histories on Job Applications

The Kansas City Council has passed Ordinance 130230 – known as the “Ban the Box” ordinance – that will require the City Manager to remove questions regarding disclosure of past criminal records from job applications for employment with the city, according to an article on the Kansas City Business Journal website. The full article is…

EEOC Commission Meeting on March 20 Focuses on Improving and Measuring Quality of Investigations

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission held a meeting on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 to develop the Quality Control Plan (QCP) called for in the EEOC’s 2012-2016 Strategic Plan to revise the criteria used to measure the quality of agency charge investigations and conciliations. Three roundtables – made up of EEOC front line staff, private…

Ban the Box Legislation Introduced in New Jersey to Restrict Criminal History Questions for Employment

Legislation recently introduced in the New Jersey Senate – Senate Bill No. 2586, ‘The Opportunity to Compete Act’ (OCA) – would “ban the box” asking about criminal histories on job applications and restrict questions by employers about criminal records of current employees or applicants. The OCA would also prohibit employers in New Jersey from inquiring…

Complaints to EEOC Allege National Retailer Discriminated against Job Applicants with Criminal Records

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the community group TakeAction Minnesota have accused a large national retailer of unfair hiring practices that allegedly discriminated against job applicants with criminal records in ten formal complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). More information about this story is available…

New EEOC Criminal Record Guidance Subject of Session at SHRM Conference in Albuquerque on February 25

Attorney Lester Rosen, a safe hiring expert and founder and CEO of background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR), will present a session titled ‘Practical Steps to Comply with the New Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Criminal Record Guidance’ at the 2013 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) NM Employment Law & Legislative Conference in…