The Vermont legislature recently passed “Ban the Box” legislation prohibiting employers from asking applicants questions about prior criminal convictions on an initial job application. In order to provide a consistent applicant experience across the entire organization, questions of this nature have been removed from all applications.
The law prohibits an employer from requesting “criminal history record information,” including arrests, convictions or sentences, on the initial employment application form. Hiring Managers may still question applicants about their prior criminal records during a job interview or once the applicant has been deemed otherwise qualified for the position. The prospective employee, must be given the opportunity to explain the criminal history record information and the circumstances regarding any convictions.
We will continue to follow our criminal background check policy which applies after a candidate has been offered a position.
Contact your Employment Specialist or MIIS HR representative for answers to any questions that you may have.
Human Resources