Criminal Records

The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to enact a law that would prevent employers from automatically rejecting any applicant with a criminal record.  The goal of the bill, sponsored by Councilmember Bruce Harrell, is to reduce the long-term effects of a criminal record by allowing applicants to be considered on their merits before being denied simply because of a record.

This week, Minnesota joined the national movement to “ban the box.”   Its legislature passed, with bi-partisan support, a bill that would prevent public and private employers from asking about criminal history on an initial application.