INDUSTRY NEWS
Los Angeles “Bans the Box”
The Los Angeles City Council voted to pass the Fair Chance Initiative, an ordinance that will prohibit most employers in the city from making inquiries about applicants’ criminal histories until a conditional job offer has been made.
The law will forbid city contractors and private employers with 10 or more employees from making inquiries, “at any time or by any means,” about criminal histories “unless and until a conditional offer of employment has been made to the applicant.”
Notably, the law includes a requirement that employers conduct an “individualized assessment” when contemplating an adverse employment action based on criminal history information, and also includes additional pre-adverse action notification requirements.
A few exemptions to the law will apply for certain positions such as law enforcement and child care.
The law is expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.
Source: Law360.com, 12/1/2016