City of Columbia, Missouri Passes Bill to “Ban-the-Box” on Criminal Records
Special Announcement to all City of Columbia, MO employers:
Effective Dec 1, 2014, the City of Columbia, MO will impose Ordinance #022286. This law restricts employers in the city from asking about and using criminal records. It creates ARTICLE V. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR QUALIFIED APPLICANTS, Section 12-90, to the Columbia Municipal Code.
Under the law, the following restrictions will apply:
1. For an employer to inquire, question or otherwise seek information on an employment application as to whether an individual has ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any crime.
2. For an employer to inquire, question or otherwise seek information as to whether an applicant has ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any crime until after the applicant has received a conditional offer of employment.
Exceptions to this law are:
- Employers are required to exclude applicants with certain criminal records from employment due to local, state or federal law or regulation;
- A standard fidelity bond or an equivalent bond is required and an applicant’s conviction of one or more specified criminal offenses would disqualify the applicant from obtaining such a bond; in which case, an employer may include a question or otherwise inquire whether the applicant has ever been convicted of any of those offenses; or
- Employers employ individuals licensed under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act
The full text of the law can be found at Columbia Missouri Ordinance No. 22286
This law will require a review of the hiring process in place and may require changes to that process.
In order to comply with this law, Justifacts recommends that you consult with your legal department. This will help your company determine what changes, if any, need to be made to your hiring process.
It is important to note that Justifacts is providing this information as a service to our clients. None of the information contained herein should be construed as legal advice, nor is Justifacts engaged to provide legal advice. We go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful. We recommend you consult your attorney or legal department if you want assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.
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