The House Committee on Financial Services on July 11 passed legislation that would prohibit employers from using credit reports for employment decisions, except when required by law or for a national security clearance.

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.

Full-time Butler County Board of Elections employees and any vendors working with the newly purchased voting machines will need to pass a criminal background check, according to new rules announced last week.

The National Association of Professional Background Screeners offers an accreditation program for Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) located in the United States. Governed by a strict and thorough set of professional standards of specified requirements and measurements, the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP) has become a widely recognized seal of approval bringing national recognition to an employment background screening-affiliated organization for its commitment to achieving excellence through high professional standards with accountability that results in continued institutional improvement.

On April 3, 2019, New Mexico expanded the state’s “Ban the Box” law to include private employers. “Ban the Box” is a nationwide effort to eliminate the checkbox on employment applications inquiring into applicants’ criminal history. Over the last few years, thirty-four states have joined the movement to “Ban the Box.”

A federal appellate court recently heard oral arguments in a case challenging the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC's) guidelines limiting the use of criminal background checks in employment decisions.

The New York State Senate passed Senate Bill S3335, or the Fingerprint Bill, which requires all religious and private schools in New York to run fingerprints and a background check on potential employees. 

With 25 percent of the world’s prison population, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. Over 600,000 people are released from American prisons each year and, sadly, about two-thirds of them will be rearrested within three years. Creating opportunities for people released from prison to reintegrate into society has rightly become a key focus of criminal justice reformers.

The Duluth School Board discussed changes to the district's background check policy Tuesday, which would allow new hires to start work after a more expansive preliminary background check.