Connecticut state law has long made it plain that the "policy of the state to encourage all employers to give favorable consideration to providing jobs to qualified individuals, including those who may have criminal conviction records." (Conn. Gen. Stat. 46a-79.)  

In a prior post, I’ve discussed how state law does not prohibit private employers from using conviction records to make employment decisions, while public employers do have some restrictions under Conn. Gen. Stat. 46a-80.

A new bill being (R.B. 5207) floated in the Connecticut General Assembly (a hearing on it was held on February 25th) would expand the protection by not allowing the public employer to ask about a conviction under after a conditional job offer has been made (with limited exceptions). Specifically: 

Except as provided in subsection (a) of this section, no employer, as defined in section 5-270, shall inquire about a prospective employee’s past convictions using a consumer report, as defined in section 31-51i, until such prospective employee has been deemed qualified for the position and a conditional offer of employment has been made to the prospective employee.

Advocates for the measure held a press conference on the subject last week, according to a report from CT News Junkie.

The measure is still a long ways off from thorough consideration or even passage. It has yet to be voted out of committee.