On April 27, 2020, the Suffolk County Legislature filed with the Secretary of State an amendment to the county’s Human Rights Code to include a new “Fair Employment Screening” section. ...more
5/28/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Regulations ,
State and Local Government
Seyfarth Synopsis: Waterloo, Iowa has enacted the state’s first “Ban the Box” Ordinance.
UPDATE #2: On April 3, 2020, the lawsuit brought by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (the “Association”) against the...more
4/10/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 30, 2020, the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s May 2019 veto of the Act Concerning Record Screening Practices (Ban the Box) (the “Act”). As a result, effective...more
2/7/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
General Assembly ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: St. Louis has become the third locality in Missouri to enact a “Ban the Box” law, joining Kansas City and Columbia. With a January 1, 2021 effective date, covered employers should begin taking steps to...more
2/4/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 17, 2019, Congress passed "The Fair Chance To Compete for Jobs Act of 2019" (the “Act”) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. ...more
1/28/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Defense Contracts ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Contractors ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements
Seyfarth Synopsis: The San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (the “FCO”), which was amended as of October 1, 2018, has long required that covered employers provide employees with the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement’s...more
1/24/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notice Requirements ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: Waterloo, Iowa has enacted the state’s first “Ban the Box” Ordinance.
UPDATE: The Iowa Association of Business and Industry has filed a lawsuit against the City of Waterloo and the Waterloo Commission on...more
1/24/2020
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Covered Employer ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Multistate Corporations ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
Seyfarth Synopsis: Waterloo, Iowa has enacted the state’s first “Ban the Box” Ordinance....more
11/27/2019
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Criminal Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
State Labor Laws
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Steve Benjamin has signed a new law prohibiting City employers - but NOT private employers - from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history until receipt of a...more
11/1/2019
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Public Employees ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Colorado Governor has just signed a new law prohibiting employers from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal history on an initial employment application....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: New Mexico has enacted new legislation which will bring the growing “Ban the Box” to private employers within the state this summer....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Virgin Islands and Westchester County, New York have enacted legislation which brings these jurisdictions into the growing “Ban the Box” trend. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Virgin Islands and Westchester County, New York have enacted legislation which brings these jurisdictions into the growing “Ban the Box” trend. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Kansas City, Missouri becomes the latest jurisdiction to “ban the box” by delaying inquiries into criminal history until an applicant has been deemed qualified -- and has been at least interviewed -- by a...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Mayor Ed Lee signed the “Parity in Pay Ordinance” (“Ordinance”) on July 19, 2017, prohibiting employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s salary history. The law will go into effect on July 1, 2018...more
7/27/2017
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: In recent years, numerous cities and counties have enacted ordinances restricting the ability of public and private employers to inquire into the criminal histories of applicants during various stages of...more
7/24/2017
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation
Seyfarth Synopsis: San Francisco is likely to be the next jurisdiction to prohibit employers from asking job applicants about wage history. If signed by the Mayor, as expected, the law will go into effect on July 1, 2018...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: UPDATE: The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed the challenge to the Philadelphia ordinance on May 30, 2017 based upon the Chamber of Commerce for Greater...more
6/9/2017
/ Commerce Clause ,
Due Process ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Pay ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Home Rule States ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: Indiana Senate Bill 312 (the “Bill”) provides, among other things, that a political subdivision of the state, including a municipality, may not prohibit an employer from obtaining or using criminal history...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On May 4, 2017, New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, held that the New York State Human Rights Law (“NYSHRL”) prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of criminal conviction history....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Fair Employment and Housing Council (“FEHC”) has approved new regulations, effective July 1, 2017, to limit employers’ use of criminal history when making employment decisions....more
The District of Columbia has become the newest jurisdiction to prohibit employers from inquiring into their job applicants’ and current employees’ credit information. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Philadelphia is the next jurisdiction to prohibit employers from inquiring into job applicants’ wage history during the employment application process. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective July 1, 2017, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring (the “Ordinance”) imposes a host of new unlawful hiring practices upon private employers regarding inquiries into criminal...more
12/12/2016
/ Background Checks ,
Ban the Box ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Fines ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Penalties ,
Posting Requirements ,
Record Retention
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective July 7, 2016, employers in Philadelphia are prohibited from procuring or using an applicant’s or employee’s credit history for employment purposes.
On June 7, 2016, Philadelphia Mayor...more