On March 24th, Austin became the first city in the South and joined fair chance hiring cities including Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco requiring both public and private employers (with 15 or more employees) to remove inquires about prior felony convictions from their job applications. The issue can be discussed when a conditional offer of employment has been made. A background screening can be performed at that time.
Austin May Steve Adler said, “The ordinance will allow more Austinites to get jobs so they can afford the city’s rising cost of living.”
Penalties will not be imposed during the first year, but after that employers could be fined up to $500 per instance.
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