Keeping our clients updated about changing employment laws is at the top of our priority list. This article, originally posted by The Center Square, is an informative piece about the upcoming change in the use of criminal searches in hiring in Maine.
Employers in Maine will be prohibited from asking prospective job candidates about their previous criminal histories under a new law signed by Gov. Janet Mills.
The new law will ban companies from screening people with criminal backgrounds before those applicants have an opportunity to go through the preliminary hiring process.
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Topics:
Employment screening policy,
background checks,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records,
employment laws
This information was originally shared on Lexology and can be viewed here.
Upcoming New York City Law Alert!
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill expanding the scope of N29ew York City’s Fair Chance Act (FCA) on January 10, 2021.
The new law significantly extends employment protections for applicants and employees with criminal charges or arrests, providing further prohibitions on NYC employers from taking adverse actions based on their criminal history.
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Topics:
Employer hot topics,
pamela devata,
Ban the Box,
New York City,
Fair Chance Act
In the past few years, there has been a growing trend of eliminating the box on the job application that asks if the applicant has prior criminal convictions. This is know as the "Ban the Box" movement. North Carolina is the latest in a long line of states and other municipalities to pass "Ban the Box" guidance.
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Topics:
North Carolina,
Criminal records,
Good hiring practices,
Ban the Box,
unlawful discriminatory hiring practice,
regulatory changes
Most of today’s companies utilize some sort of background screening process before making a hiring decision. Criminal searches, driving record searches, reference checks, employment and education verifications, assessment testing, credit checks, and drug screening all fall under the “background screening” umbrella.
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Topics:
Litigation avoidance,
background screening practices,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records
This article was written by Ryan P. Lessmann and first appeared on the National Law Review website.
In an effort to prevent persons with criminal records from being automatically ruled out for job vacancies, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed “ban the box” legislation. The new law will go into effect in September 2019 for employers with at least 11 employees, and employers with fewer than 11 employees have until September 2021 to comply.
This makes Colorado the 13th state to enact “ban the box” legislation for private employers.
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Topics:
Colorado,
Background screening,
Hiring,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records
Effective June 6, 2018, Washington will be the next state to implement “ban the box” legislation, which restricts employers from executing a criminal background check on the job applicant during the initial stages of the application process.
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Topics:
Background screening,
background checks,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records,
background check services
This information was originally posted on SHRM.org by Jennifer Mora
When it comes to legislation restricting employer use of criminal records, California seems to be leading the charge.
In the last six months alone, we have reported on a variety of new laws that apply to a California employer that uses criminal records as a background check in pre-hire and other employment decisions.
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Topics:
Background screening,
background check,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records
