Background Checks Headline In 2014

In 2014, background checks were a hot topic in state and local legislatures.  Before this year, only 8 jurisdictions in the country had passed laws preventing private employers from asking job candidates about their criminal histories on an employment application (i.e., "banning the box").  This year alone, however, 9 jurisdictions enacted ban-the-box laws covering private employers—Baltimore, Columbia (MO), Illinois, Montgomery County (MD), New Jersey, Prince George's County (MD), Rochester (NY), San Francisco, and Washington D.C.  Louisville, Indianapolis, and Syracuse also banned the box for private employers with city contracts, while Delaware and Madison (WI) "encouraged" the same.