States Stepping Up To Limit Pre-Employment Credit Checks

If you're unemployed and suffering from bad credit, a growing number of states' lawmakers want to remove one barrier between you and a new job: a credit check.

Across the United States, legislators are working to remove employee credit checks as an obstacle to job seekers with poor credit. Based on a survey conducted in 2009 by the Alexandria, Va.-based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM: undefined, undefined, undefined%), 60 percent of employers said they conduct credit checks on at least some prospective hires. That means if your credit report includes negative items -- such as unpaid bills, foreclosures or even high debt levels -- it could potentially prevent you from getting a job.

That may change. A significant number of elected officials nationwide believe that in a difficult economy, a poor credit history shouldn't be a determining factor for job applicants.

"This is an obnoxious practice that has been excluding a number of perfectly acceptable, perfectly qualified job applicants," says Connecticut State Rep. Matthew Lesser, a Democrat who twice introduced a bill seeking to prevent the widespread use of employee credit checks.

Lesser isn't the only lawmaker fighting to help job applicants overcome poor credit. Since 2007, three states -- Hawaii, Washington and Oregon -- have enacted legislation limiting employers' use of credit information. So far in 2010, data from the National Conference of State Legislatures show that lawmakers from 18 other states and the District of Columbia have introduced legislation that aims to limit the use of credit information in employment decisions. Additionally, an amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act was introduced to prohibit the use of most employee credit checks nationwide. "You see this black stain of bad credit tarnish a lot of communities in my state and, I suspect, in states across the county," Lesser says.

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State May Hire Vendors for Background Checks

The state is looking at hiring vendors to assist in doing background checks on companies seeking state tax credits, and it's also gathering information on other states' practices, economic development chief Greg Main said last week.

The steps are among several under way at the Michigan Economic Development Corp. as it revamps processes after the state granted a $9.1 million Michigan Economic Growth Authority program tax break to a company headed by a convicted embezzler.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm last week announced changes aimed at improving state transparency and accountability in regards to MEGA, including establishing a “business integrity verification program.” The program will include requirements that tax credit applicants fill out a questionnaire and submit other documentation.

MEDC President and CEO Main said the questionnaire will be “designed to provide assurance that the key persons in a particular company are upstanding people, that don't have felony convictions, other civil actions in their background that would impugn their business integrity.”

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Lawmakers Look Into Background Checks For Universities

he University of Alabama in Huntsville and the Alabama lawmakers may look into the background check polices of state universities. This is wake of the UAH shooting which left three dead.

The head of the powerful house education budget writing committee says lawmakers are shocked by the incident. "Oh, just devastated. I know kids who go to the school there. Just devastated to hear about the shooting," Representative Richard Lindsey of Centre said.

The accused killer, Amy Bishop, was hired at UAH. Reports are coming out about her past. Bishop shot and killed her brother in 1986 in an accident shooting. Bishop was questioned in a 1993 pipe bomb incident involving a former professor.

The UA system does not expect wholesale changes in their policies."I think it is lesson for all of us in business to say okay, is there something in our policies that needs to be fined tuned or tweaked," said Kellee Reinhart, UA system spokeswoman.

Lindsey says he expects the legislature will demand to know more about security and background check policies at the school. "Absolutely. I think we will look into that issue. We already have background checks for K-12, two year schools. We want to see what is required for four years," Lindsey said.

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Controversial App Provides Background Checks On the Go

Online privacy is a constant and growing concern as the evolving landscape of Web sites and services erode the traditional expectations of privacy. A new app from BeenVerified is adding even more controversy to the privacy dilemma by enabling users to conduct background checks on anyone in a matter of seconds from their iPhone.

The Background Check App is free and employers and individuals can use it to conduct up to three free background checks per week via the iPhone. Users, particularly employers who may want to conduct checks of employees, vendors, suppliers, partners, and other parties they do business with, can also subscribe to the BeenVerified service which would grant them unlimited background checks starting at only $8 per month.

In the press release for the app, BeenVerified CEO Josh Levy says "A BeenVerified background check contains information collected from thousands of public records and publicly available data where the average person would not even know where to begin. All of the information found in our reports is already out there and accessible to anyone."

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You Wanna Background Check Me? Well, Be Careful Where You Look ...

With the economy in disarray, employers are finding themselves inundated with job applications.

Increasingly, employers have turned to the use of background reports, such as criminal history and credit records, to assist in narrowing the applicant pool to a manageable level. According to one 2009 survey, 93 percent of the 1,411 employers questioned reported that they conduct criminal records checks on job applicants. Approximately half of those employers reported that they also check applicants' credit histories.

And who can blame them?

For the nominal fee of a comprehensive background check, an employer can get: (1) a glimpse of the person that is not revealed in the employment application (i.e. fiscal prowess, propensity for trouble, driving ability); (2) a potential shield from negligent hiring or retention suits; and, (3) hopefully, a significant decrease in their loss, fraud, and productivity issues.

Unfortunately, these employers are also getting something they did not bargain for. In addition to finding out the nitty-gritty of job applicants' histories, employers are also finding themselves as defendants in large, unexpected discrimination lawsuits brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as well as groups of private litigants.

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New Program Makes Background Checks Easier in Ohio

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray recently announced that the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) are teaming up to offer convenient, low-cost criminal background checks at local deputy registrar offices throughout the state. The program will use WebCheck, an electronic system that compares fingerprints and demographic data against state and national databases.

“More and more organizations and employers are finding these checks to be an invaluable safety tool,” Cordray said. “The range of Ohioans who must obtain these checks has become vast; from doctors to daycare teachers, from church volunteers to construction workers. Through our partnership with the Ohio BMV, people all across Ohio will be able to obtain a WebCheck close to home, at the lowest possible cost. And that cost will be consistent from one location to the next,” he added.

A state-level or BCI background check through BMV will cost $32, while a federal-level or FBI check will cost $34. Checks run through both databases will cost $61. BMV began offering the checks through more than 100 registrar offices in October, and anticipates adding more offices in the future. BCI used $300,000 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to train local deputy registrars and provide equipment.

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iPhone apps run background checks on your date

In a move that is sure to make playboys everywhere nervous, Internet company PeopleFinders has created two iPhone applications that let users perform background checks on their potential dates.

The apps, known as "Stud or Dud?" and "Are They Really Single?", utilize data culled from countless public records to give users a more complete picture of whom they're going out with. PeopleFinders President and COO Bryce Lane says his company collects data from "thousands of sources" across the country from "federal governments to the very smallest city governments." He says the company then uses algorithms to sort through the data and make comprehensive files that will give users a reliable picture of who the person is.

From there, the data is placed in PeopleFinders' database and is put up for sale. While both of the applications the company debuted today cost a mere $0.99 to download, users can only access records by either paying $9.95 per record or by paying an annual subscription fee of $24.95. In the case of "Stud or Dud?" users have the option of using simply by a person's first and last name, by their age and hometown, or by their phone number. From there, the program gives you a list of potential matches to choose from.

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Sarah Palin says McCain campaign made her pay for her background check

Sarah Palin says in her new book that after she and Sen. John McCain lost the 2008 presidential election, the campaign made her pay $50,000 to help cover the cost of vetting her for the Republican ticket.

In her memoir, "Going Rogue," she writes that in the months leading up to her resignation as Alaska governor in July of this year, her legal bills had mounted to more than $500,000. Part of that was incurred combating what she calls frivolous ethics complaints.

But what appeared to upset her most was that about $50,000 of the legal bills was her share of the expenses for being vetted to become McCain's running mate, Palin writes.

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Church Background Check Sample Shows 1 in 8 Volunteers Have Criminal Past

he results of a recent sample of criminal background checks on prospective church volunteers show the need for churches to remain on guard in protecting their congregations against workers with criminal pasts.

According to an article posted online at The Birmingham (AL) News, an agency that conducted 5,000 background checks for 450 churches found serious felonies in 80 cases and more than 600 people – almost 1 in 8 – that had some criminal history that may disqualify them from working at a church.

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Background Check on Authorities Not Always Enough

Police departments and sheriff’s offices say they routinely conduct thorough background checks on applicants before hiring new officers and deputies.

But sometimes that’s not enough.

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Philly Police Officer Accused of Running Background Check on Obama

Philadelphia police and apparently federal authorities are investigating an officer accused of attempting to run a criminal background check on President Obama, a FOX News affiliate has learned.

Sgt. Ray Evers confirmed that the police are investigating a 5-year veteran of the force but would not identify the officer.

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Beware of Employment Scams

As joblessness rises, so does the threat of scams. There are always greedy people ready to take advantage of those who are down on their luck.

“More families are becoming increasingly susceptible to suspect offers for employment as they try to find work in an extremely competitive job market,” said Mike Boynton, an Atlanta spokesman for the Better Business Bureau.

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Background Checks Drop 45 AL Youth Football Coaches

The city of Mobile has sent letters to 45 volunteer youth football coaches saying that they could no longer participate in city-run leagues because background checks found that they had criminal histories.

Several coaches decried the move Friday, saying it was another example of the city's overbearing behavior toward a group of volunteers who give up their time — and parts of their paycheck — to help inner-city children.

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Port Workers Affected By Background Check Delays

Delays in federal background checks and other newly-instituted screening procedures are leaving thousands of once-productive port workers jobless during the recession, according to a new report on port related employment conditions around the country.

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New Law Would Close Loophole in Federal Background Check Law and Protect Children

A person applying to be a summer camp counselor in New York could have been convicted of assault in Ohio or sexual abuse in Florida, and camp officials would have no way of knowing.

A loophole in federal law prevents camps, children's groups and other non-profits that work with children from accessing federal criminal background checks on new employees and volunteers.

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Montana Town Drops Password Requirements

A flood of criticism has prompted a Montana city to drop its request that government job applicants turn over their user names and passwords to Internet social networking and Web groups.

The city of Bozeman abruptly suspended the practice Friday, saying it "appears to have exceeded that which is acceptable to our community."

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Canadian Mistrial Over Juror Background Checks

A mistrial was declared in a Canadian homicide trial after the judge learned Ontario prosecutors had police run background checks on prospective jurors.

Two months into the first-degree murder trial of Richard Zoldi and Shane Huard in Windsor, Ontario, Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas declared the mistrial Tuesday, the Windsor Star reported Wednesday.

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NY Governor to Consider Stricter Background Checks for Gun Licenses

Gov. David Paterson announced a package of legislation yesterday that would increase the state’s use of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The database is used to check the records of people applying for gun licenses.

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Background Screening Important to HR Process

Human capital is increasingly being acknowledged as the most important investment for any company. Finding the right talent in the right job at the right time is a humungous challenge that the HR teams are facing in the current hiring scenario.

With increasing connectivity, there is an advent of a truly global workforce, multi-location operations which has led to an exponential increase in the risks associated with candidate recruiting and contract staff/vendor hiring.

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CO Senate Eliminates Gun Background Checks for CCW Permit Holders

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Dist. 1, said he was shocked HB 1180 passed out of the Democrat controlled House and Senate.

"I got 19 democrats in the senate and house combined to vote for this bill," said Brophy.

HB 1180 eliminates additional background checks for Colorado concealed weapon permit holders looking to purchase a gun.

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