INDUSTRY NEWS
California's FEHC issues proposed regulations for new "Ban the Box" law
The California Fair Employment and Housing Council (FEHC) proposed two regulations to implement provisions of Assembly Bill 1008 and the Senate Bill 63.
A.B. 1008, signed last year by Gov. Brown, enacted a new "Ban the Box" provision. This provision prohibits an employer from considering criminal history of a prospective employee until after a conditional offer of employment is made.
Under AB 1008, an employer is required to notify an applicant in writing and provide at least "five business days" to respond to a revocation of a conditional offer of employment based on its review of applicant's criminal history. To avoid disputes over the "five business days'," language, the FEHC is proposing that the "five business days" be calculated from the date of receipt of the notice by the applicant.
The proposal also adds the following language:
AB 1008 also provides that an applicant may respond to a revocation of a conditional offer of employment by including evidence of rehabilitation and/or mitigating circumstances. The proposed regulation will attempt to specify this provision as follows:
Although the employer has the right to make the final decision to deny employment, this provision requires that the employer consider all information submitted by an applicant before making its final decision.
Source: Fisher Phillips, 3/2/2018