Obama Calls on Congress to Ban Employers from Asking Applicants About Criminal Record

‘We are suggesting that when it comes to the application give folks a chance to get to the door’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

“For the most competitive jobs federal agencies. The federal government is a big employer come as you know. Like a lot of big employers on many job applications is a box that asks if you have a criminal record. If you answer yes, a lot of times you are not getting a call back. We will do our part to change this. The federal government should not use criminal history to screen out applicants before we even look at the qualifications. They cannot dismiss people out of hand simply because of a mistake that they made in the past. And I have to say that although this is something that I can do on executive basis, this is an area where Cory booker working with one of his Republican colleagues, Ron Johnson, working to try to pass federal legislation, a band the box bill working its way through the Senate. I believe Congress should pass legislation that builds on today's announcement. And keep in mind, some really good, some really good, really successful companies are already doing this. Walmart, target, Home Depot had already taken action on their own. Nineteen states have done the same. So my hope is that with the federal government also taking action must getting legislation passed, this becomes a basic principle across our society. It is relevant to find out whether somebody is a criminal record. We are not suggesting to ignore it. We are suggesting that when it comes to the application give folks a chance to get to the door.”

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