On July 26, 2012, Representative Hansen Clarke from Michigan introduced a bill into the House of Representatives (H.R. 6220) that would prohibit most employers from discriminating against applicants with criminal records. Specifically, this bill, titled “Ban the Box Act,” would make it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to seek information about whether applicant has ever been convicted of a criminal offense.
The bill lists two exceptions that allow employers to ask about an applicant’s criminal background. Employers would be allowed to ask about an applicant’s criminal background after a conditional offer of employment has been made, or if the job involves an “unreasonable risk to the safety of specific individuals or to the general public.”

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