Press & Media Articles

Louisiana Employers Now Subject to “Fair Chance” Law

by Pamela Q. Devata and Jennifer L. Mora - Seyfarth

Seyfarth Synopsis: On June 16, 2021, Louisiana joined the growing list of states and localities with so-called “Fair Chance” laws by enacting its own law restricting an employer’s consideration of criminal history in hiring decisions. With an effective date of August 1, 2021, Louisiana employers should consider an immediate review of their criminal history screening policies to ensure compliance with the new law.

Read more: https://www.seyfarth.com/news-insights/louisiana-employers-now-subject-to-fair-chance-law.html

NYC Imposes New Limits On Use Of Criminal History In Hiring And Employment

by Timothy Gumaer, Fox Rothschild LLP - JDSupra

Inquiries into the criminal histories of job candidates and employees will be limited even further under amendments to New York City’s Fair Chance Act (FCA) that take effect July 29, 2021.

With the FCA’s expanding protection, employers are urged to review their job applications (as well as job postings, pre-hire paperwork, and onboarding documents) to ensure that they are incompliance with these new requirements.

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/nyc-imposes-new-limits-on-use-of-2167408/

There Must be Real “Harm” Before One Can Sue Under FCRA: Good News for Employers Who Perform Background Checks

by Ross I. Molho and Iman Elkram - Clingen Callow & McLean, LLC

The United States Supreme Court recently held there must be a “concrete” harm before one can sue under the Fair Credit Reporting Act FCRA. TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez. This is good news for employers because background checks are implicated by FCRA, and denials of employment as a result of background checks are also governed by FCRA.

Read more: https://www.ccmlawyer.com/library/there-must-be-real-harm-before-one-can-sue-under-fcra-good-news-for-employers-who-perform-background-checks/

The Dust Hasn’t Settled Yet: Employers Must Continue to Be Thoughtful About Criminal Record Screening Policies

by Garrick Chan, Rod Fliegel - JD Supra

Last month, the new chair of the EEOC, Charlotte A. Burrows, was the keynote speaker at a conference regarding new research on criminal recidivism.1 The EEOC has been mostly quiet on the topic of criminal background checks and Title VII since the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld an order enjoining the EEOC from enforcing its Enforcement Guidance against the State of Texas.2 Chair Burrows’ comments reveal the EEOC remains keenly interested in this subject. But this is just one of the reasons why employers, particularly those operating in multiple jurisdictions with a high concentration of entry-level jobs, must continue to be thoughtful about criminal record screening policies. The other reasons include the risk of disparate impact class actions by the plaintiff’s bar, regulatory actions by local fair employment agencies, and increased claims activity by individual plaintiffs, particularly in California and New York. And these concerns fall against the backdrop of widespread class actions under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).3

Read more: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-dust-hasn-t-settled-yet-employers-1246648/

Legalization of marijuana expected to have little impact on workplace

by Casey Fabris - The Roanoke Times

As July 1 nears, employers in Virginia are evaluating what the commonwealth’s legalization of marijuana for recreational use means for the workplace.

Experts say the change in the law doesn’t require major adjustments from employers, but it might prompt some to change common policies and practices, such as drug testing.

Read more: https://roanoke.com/business/local/legalization-of-marijuana-expected-to-have-little-impact-on-workplace/article_389ad3b2-d534-11eb-a3f5-5f4bf7fc52ff.html

State Supreme Court Partially Upholds Waterloo's 'Ban The Box' Ordinance

by Kate Payne - Iowa Public Radio

The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld parts of a Waterloo “ban the box” ordinance preventing businesses from asking about prospective employees’ criminal histories on job applications. The court struck down other parts of the measure, which is meant to boost employment and reduce recidivism.

Read more: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2021-06-18/state-supreme-court-partially-upholds-waterloos-ban-the-box-ordinance

Personal info to be kept off court documents

by Julie Riddle - The Alpena News

ALPENA — Private information will soon be a little less public thanks to a change to court rules that shields birth dates and other identifying information from public consumption — a change that could stand in the way of residents in search of a job or a home, critics say.

Read more: https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/local-news/2021/06/personal-info-to-be-kept-off-court-documents/

Maine Credit Report Limits Baffle 1st Circuit

by Thomas F. Harrison - Courthouse News Service

BOSTON (CN) — A pair of Maine laws designed to help people repair their credit after experiencing problems that weren’t their fault left the First Circuit stumped at oral arguments Wednesday.

The question was whether federal law preempts such a move, but the judges seemed to think the federal statute was badly written and hopelessly unclear.

Read more: https://www.courthousenews.com/maine-credit-report-limits-baffle-1st-circuit/

N.J. bill would help people with criminal records find housing

by Michaelle Bond - The Philadelphia Inquirer

A New Jersey single father of two convicted of drug offenses has been sober for almost two years and has been out of prison for about three. The man, who is in his 30s, has a stable job working for a union and has enough money for a security deposit and to make rent payments.

“Yet he can’t find an apartment that’s willing to take him because of his felony conviction,” said Priscilla Carmona, a cofounder of the Jersey City-based organization SCORES Reentry, which provides services to formerly incarcerated people throughout New Jersey.

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/criminal-record-landlord-housing-nj-ban-the-box-20210531.html

Texas may neuter cities' powers to create rules around business hiring, benefits

by Will Anderson - Dallas Business Journal

Of the many clashes at this year's Texas Legislature about state control versus local control, one has particular significance for businesses: who gets to set rules around hiring and employee benefits at private companies.

Senate Bill 14 would stop municipalities and counties from adopting rules around terms of employment "that exceed or conflict with federal or state law." Those terms include employment leave, hiring practices, employment benefits and scheduling practices. That would bar things such as mandatory paid sick leave in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, and could impact other local ordinances that have been in effect for years.

Read more: https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2021/05/20/texas-local-control-hiring.html