Tag: Kansas City

Local Advocates Claim Kansas City's Ban-the-Box Is All Bark and No Bite In 2018 Kansas City introduced a 'Ban the Box' ordinance that was intended to restrict employers' and landlords' ability to check the criminal history of applicants; however, many local advocates have questioned whether the law is really being enforced. The city's ban the box rule forbids employers as well as landlords from making decisions concerning housing or employment solely upon the criminal history of applicants. However, though this law forbids the practice, these advocates claim that many landlords and employers may still do just this. As far as employers are concerned, the law forbids those with six or more employees from including any questions pertaining to criminal history on the initial application as well as at any point before "it has been determined that the individual is otherwise qualified for the position." This means that an employer may still perform a background check, but it should not be until they have chosen a final pool of candidates that are otherwise qualified for the position. At this point, they may disqualify a candidate for prior offenses that are reasonably related to the position's duties or responsibilities. For housing, the ordinance forbids landlords from refusing to negotiate rental of a dwelling based upon an individual's criminal history unless they can prove that the decision was "based on all information available including consideration of the frequency, recentness, and severity of a criminal record." In theory, at least if an individual believes that they were discriminated against, they may file a complaint with the director of the city's Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity department within 180 days of the incident. Within 30 days of receiving the report, the director is required to begin an investigation. If the investigation discovers a violation, they will attempt to resolve it without taking legal action; however, if this fails, they may refer it for prosecution in a municipal court. However, advocates argue that this enforcement is never actually performed, possibly due to a lack of city personnel to make it happen. As a result, some of these advocates claim that those who feel they were discriminated against in violation of this ban the box law are only left with one option, hire an attorney. However, not every job seeker has the ability to hire representation and fight these violations, so some nonprofit organizations have attempted to help. Many of these organizations have helped to foster relationships with local employers and landlords to inform them of the ordinance and find those that are willing to hire those with a criminal history on their record. Pre-employ makes background checks easy and reliable. Get in touch with a sales representative today. STAY COMPLIANT WITH YOUR BACKGROUND CHECKS

Tag: Kansas City

Local Advocates Claim Kansas City’s Ban-the-Box Is All Bark and No Bite

Our Process

Our Platform

Screenings

For Your Industry

For Your Role

Webinar

Resources Library

Logins

E-Book

Services

Industry

Resources

Our Company