U.S. House Passes Fair Chance Act
1 min read
Written By
Kelly Uebel
Published
Aug 29, 2019
Criminal justice reform remains a hot topic on the federal level with lawmakers celebrating the bipartisan effort that led to the First Step Act. More recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which tucked in the Fair Chance Act.
Fair Chance Act
The Fair Chance Act is a relatively straightforward ban the box law as it seeks to prohibit criminal history inquiries until after a conditional offer is extended. It’s too soon for private employers to celebrate a single federal standard however as this Act, if enacted, would only apply to the federal government and federal contractors.
Importantly, the Senate version of the NDAA does not currently include the Fair Chance Act. It thus remains to be seen whether this legislative activity will lead to another bipartisan criminal justice reform win.
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