At a Sentencing Commssion hearing last week, former state lawmaker Ernie Newton — who was convicted in 2006 on corruption charges — urged commission members to address hiring discrimination against ex-felons, reports CT News Junkie. There is no indication yet that they will do so, but his comments raised some eyebrows in the press. Newton’s… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: background check
Using Criminal Background Checks in the Hiring Process; Handle With Care
Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Discrimination & Harassment, Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and RegulationsThe Office of Legislative Research, whom I’ve praised in several posts before (here and here), recently issued a report on the consequences of a felony conviction on employment. Overall, it does a good job summarizing the issues when it comes to state employment. But later on in the publication it states the following when discussing… Continue Reading
Senate Passes Bill Banning Use of Credit Reports by Employers With Exceptions
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Legislative DevelopmentsUPDATED June 9, 2011 – The House approved the measure late last night, June 8th. For additional details, see this updated post. In the closing hours of the General Assembly’s term, the Connecticut Senate has passed a bill yesterday that would ban the use of credit reports by employers in many situations. Senate Bill 361… Continue Reading
Of Credit Histories, Ricci’s Impact & The Gender Wage Gap
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceBeen a busy week so there’s time only for a few things to some recent and upcoming publications, podcasts and radio shows that I’m involved with. My thanks to the respective producers or reporters for the opportunity. First, the Daily Labor Reports and U.S. Law Week each did a lengthy piece this week on the… Continue Reading
“National Sexual Harassment Registry” on eBossWatch – Not Even What It Claims To Be
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceUPDATE: Since my original post, the Registry has been revised and various links have been removed, presumably in response to the criticism. You can find my update on the site here. Ever have a sexual harassment complaint filed against your company or a supervisor? Congratulations, the supervisor is now eligible to appear on a "National Sexual… Continue Reading
The Basics: Background Checks in Connecticut
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and RegulationsIf you’re wondering if the applicant you’re planning on hiring is a closet Justin Bieber fan or a Russian spy, odds are that a background check won’t uncover that information. What is may, uncover, however is whether that applicant has been arrested for say, vomiting on a police officer’s kid at a baseball game …. Continue Reading
General Assembly Overrules Veto of Criminal Background Check Bill
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsAfter months of on-again, off-again views, the Connecticut General Assembly yesterday overruled Governor Rell’s veto of House Bill 5207, which changes the way that the State of Connecticut can conduct background checks on job applicants. You can view of the text of the bill here. With yesterday’s vote, it will now go into effect on… Continue Reading
Rell Vetoes Bill Limiting Use of Criminal Background Checks for State Applicants
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsI can’t say I saw this one coming. I’ve previously reported on a bill (H.B. 5207) that passed the legislature. That bill restricts the use of background checks for prospective state employees until after job offers have been made. Yesterday, Governor Rell vetoed the measure (H/T CT Mirror). In her veto message, she states that while… Continue Reading
Legislative Roundup: New Labor & Employment Laws — Where Are They??
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsUPDATED The Connecticut General Assembly ended its regular session last night. As far as new laws affecting employers, the session certainly ends with a whimper. For many employers, the big news is that the paid sick leave bill once again failed. This time it wasn’t even put up for a vote in either chamber of… Continue Reading
House Votes to Ban Criminal Background Checks for Public Employees Until After Job Offer
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsDespite initial opposition from the Chief State’s Attorney and other state officials, the Connecticut House of Representatives today approved a bill that would limit the use of criminal background checks on state workers. I’ve discussed the bill in a prior post. The text of the bill (with an amendment that passed) is attached. Specifically, the… Continue Reading
With Two Weeks Left to Go in Legislative Session, Labor & Employment Law Bills Remain Few & Far Between
Posted in Legislative DevelopmentsA few months ago, it looked like we could see a variety of bills passed relating to labor & employment law in the Connecticut General Assembly. With the legislature scheduled to conclude business on May 5, 2010, though, its still mostly quiet on the labor & employment law area. According to the Labor Committee’s Bill Record… Continue Reading
A Primer on When Criminal Background Checks Are Required By Statute
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceCriminal background checks have, in many ways, never been easier for employers. The internet has made that process quicker, cheaper and more transparent. And yet, the question of "when" must employers run a criminal background check remains confusing. There are various laws on the subject but they are in different sections of the law and… Continue Reading
Federal Court Denies Summary Judgment to Background Check Company Based on Alleged Violations of FCRA
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceIn a case that should send shivers through background check companies, particularly in Connecticut, a federal district court judge recently ruled that a job applicant could proceed to trial with her claims that two background check companies violated in the Fair Credit Reporting Act when they reported that she had been convicted of a crime… Continue Reading
Quick Takes: Background Checks, Increased DOL Audits, ARRA’s Whistleblower Provisions, H1-B Visa Rules for TARP Recipients, Salary Basis Test
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Litigation, Wage & HourIt’s FINALLY a nice spring day outside in Connecticut (see the picture of the Connecticut River taken this morning) so no need to spend a minute more than necessary to catch up on some other employment law-related items you might have missed during the week: A topic near and dear to my heart, background checks, had… Continue Reading
BeenVerified.Com Shakes Up Background Check Market; Allows Job Applicants to Control Information
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceA new New York-based company, BeenVerified.com launched yesterday and hopes to shake up the background check market with an innovative approach. If the buzz the company is receiving continues, it will be well on its way. (Full disclosure: BeenVerified.com is a client but, other than authorizing me to write about them, has had no input… Continue Reading
Using Social Networking Sites for Employment Screening; Is there a Right Answer?
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceOver the last couple of days, an interesting debate has emerged about whether employers should use social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace to "screen" potential employees. One corner, supported by the Delaware Employment Law Blog, argues that there are some real and tangible benefits to using the sites, as long as they are used… Continue Reading
Background Checks as Big Business, But How Accurate are They?
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceBusinessWeek has an in-depth article this week on business checks and the accuracy of those records. Its a thought-provoking article that suggests that background checks are a "Wild Wild West" where nothing is regulated. Moreover, despite the headline that question the accuracy of background checks, the article itself doesn’t contain any statistics or studies to… Continue Reading
Quick Hits: GINA, Background Checks, Work-Life Studies, Telecommuting with High Gas Prices
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceLots of interesting posts and articles and so little time. So just quick hits today on some new and interesting developments. The Genetic Discrimination Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) became law on Wednesday. I highlighted the bill a few weeks ago and opined that it’s not going to have a big impact on Connecticut in light of… Continue Reading
Background Checks – Connecticut’s Criminal Conviction Records Now Available Online and Free
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceWithout much fanfare, the Connecticut Judicial Branch is now posting criminal conviction records with free access to the public. You can view these records at this link here. It is easy to search and easy to use. The possibilities in the employment context are deep and wide as employers may now seek to review this database for… Continue Reading
Background Checks and the Hiring Process
Posted in Human Resources (HR) ComplianceGeorge Lenard, who runs the popular "Employment Blawg", has an interesting post this week about how current job seekers will have to undergo different scrutiny than perhaps the last time that they engaged in a job search. As George notes, the biggest change is the prevalent use of background checks by employers. George provides some useful… Continue Reading
Supreme Court Creates New Qualified Privilege for Job References by Employers
Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, LitigationIn an important decision to be officially released next week, the Connecticut Supreme Court has found that a qualified privilege exists to employers giving job references. Specifically, in an issue of first impression, the court has now "recognized a qualified privilege for the employment references of current or former employers that were solicited with the… Continue Reading
About Daniel Schwartz
Trusted advisor. Experienced employment law attorney. Bar leader. Award-winning author. Noted Speaker. "Legal Rebel". All can be said to be apt descriptions of Daniel Schwartz, a member of Pullman & Comley. More +
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