by Sarah K. Carpenter - Smith Currie

Maryland’s “Ban the Box” law, the Criminal Record Screening Practices Act (the “Criminal Record Act”), went into effect February 29, 2020. Maryland now joins a growing number of states and localities that have implemented “Ban the Box” restrictions prohibiting employers from requesting information about a job applicant’s criminal history. The Federal Government also joined the “Ban the Box” legislative wave on December 20, 2019 when President Trump signed into law the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019 (the “Fair Chance Act”), which is scheduled to go into effect in December 2021.