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 BackHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Committee Report
| Legislation: | HB 167 |
| Sponsor: | J. Johnson |
| Long Title: | AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 19 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE WITH REGARD TO EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES. |
| Committee: | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/BANKING/INSURANCE/COMMERCE |
| Number of Committee Members: | 11 |
| Date of Report: | 01/15/2014 |
| Committee Vote: | Favorable: | On Its Merits: | Unfavorable: |
| 8 | 0 | 1 |
Purpose of the Bill : This bill addresses the issue of recidivism by prohibiting a public employer from obtaining or considering the criminal record, criminal history, or credit history or score of an applicant before making a conditional employment offer. This allows applicants the opportunity of an application free of their criminal history as well as a job interview that would allow persons with a criminal record to be considered for employment when it would otherwise impede their candidacy. Once a background check is administered, only criminal history that is within 10 years of completion of sentence, or 5 years for misdemeaners can be considered. There are exceptions for public jobs that have a statutory mandate for background checks, including police forces and the Department of Corrections.
Committee Findings: The committee found this bill would open opportunities for qualified candidates to be considered for jobs despite criminal history. There were a few concerns related to the year limits for consideration. There were also concerns about the implications for private employers who work with public employers. These concerns will be addressed before consideration on the floor.
Committee Meeting Minutes:
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