Post by Logan on Mar 18, 2016 4:32:39 GMT -6
MONTPELIER — House lawmakers have given their overwhelming endorsement to a bill intended to make it easier for people with criminal histories to find employment.
By a vote of 138 to 5, the House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would — for the most part — prohibit employers from inquiring of a prospective employee’s criminal background on an application form.
“The House’s vote to ban the box is a vote for compassion, redemption and opportunity,” House Speaker Shap Smith said after the vote. “The current policy of screening for criminal histories in preliminary job applications puts a barrier in the way of successfully finding employment. By removing this wall, Vermonters will have more opportunities to succeed.”
The bill still has a ways to go, pending a final vote by House lawmakers today and approval by the Senate. If signed into law, Vermont would become the eighth state to “ban the box,” as referred to by advocates such as Dan Barlow, public policy manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.
Read more: www.timesargus.com/article/20160318/NEWS03/160319650
By a vote of 138 to 5, the House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would — for the most part — prohibit employers from inquiring of a prospective employee’s criminal background on an application form.
“The House’s vote to ban the box is a vote for compassion, redemption and opportunity,” House Speaker Shap Smith said after the vote. “The current policy of screening for criminal histories in preliminary job applications puts a barrier in the way of successfully finding employment. By removing this wall, Vermonters will have more opportunities to succeed.”
The bill still has a ways to go, pending a final vote by House lawmakers today and approval by the Senate. If signed into law, Vermont would become the eighth state to “ban the box,” as referred to by advocates such as Dan Barlow, public policy manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.
Read more: www.timesargus.com/article/20160318/NEWS03/160319650