The California Assembly has passed Assembly Bill 1008, which would affect employers’ abilities to make pre-hire and personnel decisions based on a person’s criminal history.  Governor Jerry Brown has until October 15, 2017 to act on the bill and he is expected to sign it.

AB 1008 would apply to all employers in California with five or more employees. The bill would make it unlawful for California employers to:
• Include on any application for employment any question that seeks the disclosure of an applicant’s conviction history;
• Inquire into or consider the conviction history of an applicant before the applicant receives a conditional offer of employment; and
• Consider or even disclose information about any of the following in connection with any application for employment: (1) an arrest that did not result in a conviction, subject to the exceptions in Labor Code § 432.7(a)(1) and (f); (2) referral to or participation in a pretrial or posttrial diversion program; and (3) convictions that have been sealed, dismissed, expunged or statutorily erased pursuant to law.

Once a conditional offer has been made, employers are required to conduct an individualized assessment before rescinding an employment offer based upon a criminal history. The assessment must include an evaluation of the:
• The nature and gravity of the offense and conduct;
• The time that has passed since the offense or conduct and completion of the sentence; and
• The nature of the job held or sought.

If the employer makes a preliminary decision that the applicant’s conviction history is disqualifying, the employer must notify the applicant of this preliminary decision in writing. However, the employer is not required to explain to the applicant its reasoning for making the preliminary decision.

The notice requirements are similar to those under Fair Credit Reporting Act.  In short, employers must state which convictions are disqualifying, include a copy of the criminal history and advise that the applicant has at least 5 business days to challenge the accuracy of the report or to explain the circumstances of the conviction.

If the applicant timely notifies the employer in writing that he or she is disputing the conviction history and is taking steps to obtain evidence to support this, the employer must provide five (5) additional business days to respond to the notice. The employer must also consider any additional evidence or documents the applicant provides in response to the notice before making a final decision.

Once a final decision is made, an adverse action notice must be given to the applicant and the applicant must be advised that he or she has the right to file a complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

We will keep an eye on this one since it will likely go into effect on January 1, 2018 if it is signed into law.

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