Philadelphia’s City Council recently passed an amendment to their existing ban the box legislation that goes much further than the City’s 2011 legislation. Bill No. 150815 takes effect on March 14, 2016 and amends Chapter 9-3500 of the Philadelphia Code (“Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards”) to include more comprehensive requirements.
Additions to the amendment include requiring that no employer (regardless of size) may have a policy of automatically excluding applicants with criminal convictions, and also that employers may not consider criminal convictions older than 7 years. Bill No. 150815 includes several other additional requirements, which you will find in our latest Legislative Update. The legislative update covers:
- What areas of the new law may differ from the current law?
- Which employers are affected?
- What does the law prohibit?
- Are there any exceptions?
- Can employers still consider and take adverse action based on an applicant’s criminal history?
- Are there any other special requirements for employers?
- Employer Recommendations
As an employer you may have obligations under this legislation that may impact your organization and your current processes. Accurate Background always recommends each employer discuss changing legislation with their counsel to ensure you understand your responsibilities and what processes you may need to modify.
As a resource to you, we are providing a legislative update which contains the link to the actual bill / act for you to read, as well as the summary of our interpretation of the requirements.
Read more about ban the box, and other laws, by visiting Accurate Background’s Legislative Updates.
