Box Resource News Today

The REDEEMER Act will take effect in July 2021. “Beginning in July, when the law takes effect, people who qualify for the break will be able to petition the court for the expungement. Judges will make the determination based on factors like the nature of the offense and how long ago it occurred,” WALA Fox10 News reported. “The expungement option is not open to everyone. Violent felons and people convicted of sex offenses will not be able to apply. But people with misdemeanors and certai...

On April 5, 2021, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed into law House Bill 497 (HB 497) that will create a certificate program to give employers protection from legal barriers and civil liabilities for hiring qualified ex-offenders who have prior criminal records and are trained for a job. The new law will take effect in July 2021. HB 497 – which was unanimously passed by the Kentucky Legislature in March 2021 – requires the Department of Corrections (DOC) to issue ex-offenders documentati...

In January 2021, the Illinois legislature passed Senate Bill 1480 (SB 1480) to amend the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) that would impact employers under the state’s “Ban the Box” law that prevents employers from asking job applicants about criminal histories on applications. The bill was sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker to sign into law. SB 1480 would make using conviction records in employment-related decisions a civil rights violation unless there is a “substantial relationship” ...

The New York City Council has amended the Fair Chance Act (FCA) that prohibits most employers in the “Big Apple” from inquiring into the criminal records of job applicants until after a conditional job offer to expand employment protections. The amendments became law on January 10, 2021, and take effect on July 29, 2021. The New York City Council revised the FCA – which was enacted in 2015 to prohibit discrimination based on arrest records or criminal convictions – to identify the speci...