Karen’s Corner: Women in Government Contracting

Mind Your Business, Inc. founder and CEO Karen Caruso has over 25 years of experience in the industry. She founded the company based upon her goal to provide accurate information to individuals and businesses making hiring decisions. Her passion and vision has guided MYB, Inc. through the years. Today, it is a thriving business and…

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FTC with limited services due to government shutdown

The government shutdown continues to be problematic for the employment screening industry. Previously, we highlighted how CBSV and E-Verify were suffering delays. We are also seeing services from FTC being put on hold until the conclusion of the shutdown. The website currently has the following message: “The FTC is closed due to the lapse in…

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Government shutdown affects key screening services

Please be advised that while Congress works to end the shutdown, some government services are not available. This may result in a delay of some screening verification, such as CBSV and E-Verify. Employers must continue to complete Form I-9’s in compliance with the law and plan on creating cases in the E-Verify system when the…

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White House background checks: 100 officials served with 'interim' security clearances

Government background checks have been in the spotlight since the Rob Porter scandel, with public outrage swelling at the inefficiencies of the screening process. The timing of the Rob Porter story, showcasing government background check failures, coincided with news that the Government Accountability Office (GOA) has taken the unusual step of adding government background check efforts to its…

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Labor Department re-considers drug test rule for unemployment pay

The Trump administration is looking to expand drug testing for unemployment benefits about a year after killing an Obama-era rule that limited the ability of states to screen applicants, according to The Hill. The U.S. Labor Department has indicated it would broaden the number of occupations that can drug test for unemployment. The 2016 rule repealed…

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Government background checks at risk: 700,000 waiting on clearance

Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GOA) took the unusual step of adding government background check efforts to its list of “high-risk” programs, due to the 700,000 people waiting to get clearance. This action by GOA is certifying that the process is in need of concerted action to prevent waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. “A high-quality…

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E-Verify to dispose of decade-old records

purging all transaction records that are more than 10 years old from its system database. This is in an attempt to minimize the amount of Personal Identifiable Information that the U.S. Government maintains, to reduce the risk of online security threats. E-Verify is a free web-based application that allows employers to ensure that their employees…

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Obama expected to sign Executive Order to ‘ban the box’ for federal employers

President Obama is expected to sign an Executive Order on Monday that would prohibit federal employers from asking job applicants questions about potential criminal records until significantly later in the hiring process. In a previous post, we shared that both the House of Representatives and the Senate are also currently debating bills that propose ban-the-box…

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‘Fair Chance Act’ may require federal government to ‘ban the box’

Fair Chance Act,” would prevent all three branches of the federal government from asking job applicants questions about their criminal records on a government job application. The Fair Chance Act would prevent background checks from being conducted until the government is ready to offer a position to the applicant. The bill would “ban the box”…

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Federal agencies renew commitment to employment opportunities for disabled workers

began working to more actively promote competitive employment options for people with disabilities. The two agencies, alongside other advocates and resource providers, have recently re-committed to this partnership, and will be creating new opportunities for those with significant disabilities to find integrated employment options and share community resources. “Integrated, competitive employment is central to community…

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