criminal background checks
TSA implements new background checks for aviation employees
After a breach in airport security in which a Transportation Security Administration employee attempted to smuggle weapons onto a plane leaving Atlanta, the TSA has set new policies to help keep both staff and passengers safer. The Administration announced at the end of April that they had finished a review of airport security measures throughout…
Read MoreRide-sharing companies say their background checks are good enough
Georgia House Bill 225 — nicknamed the “Uber bill” — is likely to be signed into law early in May. Under the bill, ride-sharing companies must prove they pay taxes and have $1 million in liability insurance, and drivers must undergo criminal background checks. Despite the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s statement that “[fingerprinting is] the…
Read MoreNew Colo. bill to increase background check requirements for child welfare services
increase and clarify the requirements of background checks for child welfare services in the state is expected to become law in the near future, as it passes through the final phases of scrutiny. This bill is supported by the Colorado Department of Human Services, and was created after Call 7 news service conducted an investigation…
Read MoreWhat types of background checks can employers conduct?
Criminal background checks Criminal background checks are common in employment situations in which the employee will have access to company financial information or will be working with vulnerable populations. Oftentimes, a company will reconsider hiring the person if they are applying for a position related to a previous felony conviction. In order to conduct criminal…
Read MoreVirginia becomes 15th state to ban the box
After last month’s Senate vote to pass statewide ban-the-box legislation, the Virginia House of Delegates approved the new measure and Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed it into law on April 3. The new law requires state government job applications to remove all questions about an applicant’s criminal history. The law allows for background checks to be…
Read MoreNew Mexico takes first steps toward decriminalizing medical marijuana
approved measures that take steps to decriminalize marijuana and ensure that licensed medical marijuana providers do not have felony criminal records. State legislators have made clear that, despite these new bills, the state is not yet ready to legalize cannabis. “This is not legalization,” said Senate bill sponsor Sen. Joseph Cervantes. “This is decriminalization of…
Read MoreThree ways forgoing criminal background checks can backfire
While some jobs require employees to pass all kinds of criminal background checks in order to begin work — jobs like teachers and police officers — other types of positions may not be so stringent. However, whether you think background checks are necessary or not, it’s always better to err on the safe side. This…
Read MoreOhio: State databases lacked thousands of county criminal records
It was recently discovered that, for months, several counties in Ohio were having computer issues that prevented counties from providing arrest and criminal disposition records to a statewide database that law-enforcement officers use when making traffic stops. This miscommunication caused a lack of complete records for state and city police, and had the errors not…
Read MoreFingerprint background checks to crack down on all kinds of crimes in this profession
Florida recently passed a state law requiring all licensed massage therapists to undergo mandatory criminal background checks and fingerprint checks. The intent of the law is to prevent crime, as human traffickers often use massage parlors as fronts for trafficking sex workers. The state intends to use the fingerprint checks to “ferret out” massage therapists…
Read MoreGeorgia and Virginia consider ban-the-box legislation
Gov. Nathan Deal signed an Executive Order to remove criminal history questions from job applications in the state of Georgia. This move makes Georgia the fourteenth state in the U.S. to pass statewide ban-the-box legislation. (Both the city of Atlanta and Fulton County already had ban-the-box policies in place.) “[Ban-the-box] policies allow returning citizens an…
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