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U.S. House Passes Fair Chance Act

U.S. House Passes Fair Chance Act

Compliance and Legal Updates
Compliance

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.

U.S. House Passes Fair Chance Act