Tag: ban-the-box St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg May Be Expanding Its Ban the Box Law The St. Petersburg City Council will discuss a potential expansion of its ban-the-box provision. The city passed the original policy almost eight years ago, and it removed criminal history questions from job applications. The current policy came into effect during former Mayor Rick Kriseman's term in 2015. The policy states that applicants for a job with the city will not be asked about their criminal history at any time during the hiring process. However, there are exceptions to this policy, such as positions in public safety or positions requiring Level ll background screenings. During a meeting on August 4th, Council Chair Gina Driscoll asked for a referral to the Budget, Finance, and Taxation Committee to expand the city's ban-the-box provision to include city contractors. Ban-the-box laws have increased in popularity as local governments work on providing residents with a criminal history a better chance of obtaining employment. A National Conference of Legislatures (NCL) report from June 2021 found that these policies have had some success, but the report also stated there are still concerns with these policies. The report goes on to say how, in Durham County, N.C., the number of applicants who had criminal records but were recommended for hire almost tripled two years after the ban-the-box policy passed. Also, after a ban-the-box policy took effect in Washington, D.C., the number of hired applicants with a criminal record increased by 33%. However, the report then pointed out the results of a 2018 study from Texas A&M University and The University of Oregon. This study found that black men ages 25 to 34 who did not have a college degree faced a 5.1% decreased employment rate. Hispanic men of the same age without college degrees also faced a 2.9% drop in employment. These concerns have not stopped many states and local governments from passing ban-the-box laws to help residents with criminal records get jobs. The council members who attended the meeting in St. Petersburg that Thursday unanimously approved the motion by Council Chair Gina Driscoll. Council member Lisset Hanecwicz was among the absent. The council will discuss whether to expand the ban-the-box policy in a future meeting, but the date for this meeting is not yet known. Keep your business up to date on new laws and regulations with Pre-employ’s free news resources. Contact a sales rep today. Source

Tag: ban-the-box St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg May Be Expanding Its Ban the Box Law

Our Process

Our Platform

Screenings

For Your Industry

For Your Role

Webinar

Resources Library

Logins

E-Book

Services

Industry

Resources

Our Company