Our readers may recall that back in 2016, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed Executive Order 16-04 to implement a ban the box policy for government entities. The law gives individuals a fair chance to apply to job positions without being required to disclose their criminal history. On February 1, 2018, the city council of Kansas Read more
On November 6, 2017, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed an executive order to “ban the box” on job applications for state agencies. This brings the state’s hiring policies in line with those of the federal government, which finalized fair chance regulations in 2016, as well as several of its own cities. In 2015, Tucson became Read more
Even as some states limit employers’ use of the federal E-Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of new hires, a recent study shows low compliance rates in states where employers are legally mandated to use E-Verify. If accessibility is a factor, employers may soon have a new tool to make compliance easier. Last week, Read more
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed the Opportunity to Compete Act, also known as “Ban the Box” legislation. The law will go into effect March 1, 2015 and applies to New Jersey employers with 15 or more employees. Under the law, employers may not post job advertisements indicating that people that have been arrested Read more
The city of Columbia is the first city in Missouri to pass the “ban the box” ordinance. The ordinance that took effect December 1st was designed to make it easier for people with prior criminal backgrounds to compete in the job market. Employers in Columbia are now prohibited from asking applicants about criminal histories or Read more
The New Jersey legislature has approved to new bills that will affect New Jersey employers’ hiring practices. These measures are: “Ban the box”— a law that would prohibit employers from inquiring about job candidates’ criminal histories during the initial hiring process; and Discrimination against the unemployed— a law that would prohibit employers from considering applicants’ Read more
“Ban the box” is a term that refers to legislation that prohibits an employer from requiring applicants to disclose a criminal record or consent to a criminal background check on an initial job application. This month two cities, Baltimore (MD) and Rochester (NY) join several other jurisdictions that have enacted “ban the box” laws. The Read more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have just released two short guides on employment background checks: Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know, and Background Checks: What Job Applicants and Employees Should Know [PDF]. The publication for employers covers various procedures and laws that might apply when performing background Read more
Many employers perform background checks on prospective employees as part of the hiring process. Employers view criminal background and credit checks in particular as important screening tools for hiring qualified workers. Although there is no federal law prohibiting the use of criminal or credit history by an employer, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has Read more
Here’s something you can “like”, “re-tweet” and “pin”… If you live in Illinois, it’s now illegal for your boss to force you to hand over your social media passwords. On August 1st, the “Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act” was signed into law, making Illinois the second state to ban employer requests for social Read more
