New bill would limit criminal background checks

From Security Management:

A bill (H.R. 6220) introduced by Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-MI) would prohibit employers from asking about or checking an applicant’s criminal record until a conditional offer of employment has been made. The “Ban the Box” bill is so-named because it would even prohibit the employer from asking the applicant to mark a box on the application form indicating whether he or she has a criminal record.

Employers may check an applicant’s criminal record only if the job duties in question “may involve an unreasonable risk to the safety of specific individuals or to the general public.” The specific jobs that fit into this category, as well as what factors constitute an “unreasonable risk,” would be determined via the rulemaking process.