The Business and Labor Committee heard testimony Jan. 27 on a bill aimed at limiting public employers\u2019 ability to inquire about an applicant\u2019s criminal record.<\/p>\n
LB932, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery, would prohibit public employers from asking an applicant to disclose information concerning his or her criminal history until the employer has determined that the applicant meets the minimum employment qualifications.<\/p>\n
The bill would not apply to law enforcement agencies, any position for which federal or state law requires a criminal history record check or for which federal or state law specifically disqualifies an applicant with a criminal background.<\/p>\n
The bill would not prevent a public employer from conducting a criminal record check after determining that an applicant meets the minimum employment qualifications.<\/p>\n
Avery said the bill \u2013 known as \u201cban the box\u201d legislation \u2013 was modeled after a California law intended to minimize the impact of the stigma surrounding even minor criminal convictions. Many people come in contact with law enforcement in their youth, he said, which can hinder their job prospects for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou make an initial application and there\u2019s a box to check if you have a criminal background,\u201d Avery said. \u201cUsually that is where the application ends, because once you check the box, you don\u2019t make it to the next stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the bill could be an important component of prison reform. Individuals leaving incarceration need a fair chance to become gainfully employed, productive members of society, Avery said, adding that approximately 30,000 people in Nebraska fall into the category of ex-offenders.<\/p>\n
Tommie Wilson, community liaison at Metropolitan Community College, testified in support of the bill. The state needs to do more to integrate individuals back into the community who are returning from prison, she said, and employment is an important part of the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the stigma of checking that box, it keeps them from employment,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n
Willie Hamilton, executive director of Black Men United, also supported the bill, saying those who have served their time should not continue to be punished by not being able to obtain employment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the only industrialized country in the world that gives someone who has committed a crime a life sentence,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cA mistake should not cost a person the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one testified in opposition to the bill and the committee took no immediate action on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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