INDUSTRY NEWS
Washington D.C. approves bill to prohibit credit checks in hiring
The Washington D.C. Council unanimously passed the “Fair Credit in Employment Amendment Act” which will limit employers’ ability to inquire into an applicant, intern or employee’s credit information at any point during the hiring process.
A number of states, including California, Illinois and Maryland, as well as the cities of Chicago and New York City, have passed similar legislation.
The law does not apply to federal jobs, D.C. police, special police, campus police, or financial institutions where the job involves access to personal financial information, or otherwise required by D.C. law or pursuant to lawfully issued subpoena, according to the law firm Jackson Lewis P.C.
Employers who are found to have violated the Act could face fines ranging from $1,000 for a first violation to $5,000 for repeat offenses.
Source: The National Law Review, 1/10/2017