Please join us for our upcoming HRCI approved webinar. We will review the blueprint of employer requirements on background screening including EEOC, FCRA and Ban the Box and that you may have a background screening program that is a fixer upper.

Space is limited. Register here!

Our partners at Quest Diagnostics sent the following statistical information about preventing workplace accidents. We thought it was really interesting and wanted to share it with you.

Preventing drug-related workplace accidents

On January 4, 1987, in Chase, Maryland, a locomotive engineer and his brakeman were smoking a marijuana cigarette while on duty operating a trio of Conrail locomotives. They failed to react to stop signals and collided with an Amtrak train carrying more than 600 passengers. In total, 16 people died and 164 were injured. Some of the injured were trapped in the wreckage for more than 10 hours before they were finally freed.

The state of Texas feels the EEOC is overreaching with their guidelines that restrict the use of criminal history in hiring decisions. Texas feels so strongly about it, that they have sued the federal government. The case is currently on appeal at the Federal 5^th Circuit Court of Appeal where oral arguments are being heard.

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) recapped the case here. The article also included additional information, news, and resources on the topic.

We’ve recapped the ban-the-box and Salary History Ban activity from this week for you below.

BAN-THE-BOX RECAP

EMPLOYMENT:

Washington, D.C. - The District of Columbia has taken action against employers since the passage of the Fair Criminal Record Screening Act in 2014. The administrative charges have resulted in more than $500,000 in fines for failing to ban-the-box on applications. Read more here and here.

Connecticut House Bill 6921 - which prohibits discrimination based on a person’s criminal history. The bill has passed the House and the Senate as of June 5, 2019.
 

HIGHER EDUCATION:

We’ve alerted you before about similar ban-the-box actions taken in higher education institutions. We have another one to bring to your attention today.

On June 5, 2019, The DePaul University’s Faculty Council, in Chicago, Illinois, approved a motion to ban-the-box on their college application.

SALARY HISTORY BAN RECAP

Illinois House Bill 834 – prohibits employers from considering salary history in the hiring process. Passed in the House and the Senate as of May 29, 2019 and was sent to the Governor on June 6, 2019.

It’s been about a month since we’ve updated you on activity involving ban-the-box laws, so we found two events occurring this week to bring to your attention.

DENVER, CO

The Governor of Colorado signed the statewide ban-the-box legislation into law this week. The legislation affects public and private sector employers. You can find more information about the new law here.

MASSACHUSETTS

The Attorney General is actively enforcing the State’s Ban-the-box law. Recently 19 businesses were cited for violating the law. And in 2018, 21 citations were issued, some of those citations resulted in fines. Read more here.

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The varying city, county and state laws are overwhelming, and it is difficult to stay abreast of the changes. Which is why we would like to remind you of the National Employment Law Project’s (NELP) April 2019 publication, the most comprehensive and up-to-date summary of these laws we have seen.

We found this resource so helpful, that we have added a link to our resource page here.