By Rue Landau, Councilmember At-Large<\/p>\n
Philadelphia\u2019s job market is bouncing back but too many of our neighbors are still locked out because of a mistake they made years ago. It\u2019s time to fix that by updating our Fair Chance Hiring<\/a> law again.<\/p>\n Fourteen years ago, Philadelphia<\/a> banned employers from asking about criminal records up front \u2014 proving that people are more than their past mistakes and that our city is stronger when everyone has the chance to work.<\/p>\n I helped write the original versions of the Fair Chance Hiring bill<\/a> when I was the executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Back then, I saw firsthand that employers were more resistant to hiring anyone with a criminal record, regardless of the crime they committed or the number of years since it occurred.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Prior to that original law being passed, many job seekers were being shut out of opportunities due to a mistake they made decades earlier \u2013 often when they were young and still finding their way. Returning citizens faced barriers to rebuilding their lives, and employers missed out on qualified hires.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Today, over 300,000 Philadelphians have a criminal record, but sentiments are changing thanks to the laws we put on the books more than a decade ago. Employers who have opened their doors as a result of laws like Fair Chance Hiring and Pennsylvania\u2019s groundbreaking Clean Slate<\/a> report what the community has known all along \u2014 when given the opportunity, people with records rise to the occasion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Local business owners, like Down North Pizza and Triple Bottom Brewing<\/a>, are centering their staffing around people with records. Larger area employers are actively hiring as well. Philly\u2019s own city departments, from Water to Streets, continue to employ residents with records.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear, taking a chance on giving a second chance has paid off. That\u2019s why I am proposing we update this legislation<\/a> to make Philadelphia ready for the workforce of 2025 and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0My updates will further help job seekers and employees with criminal records \u2014 as well as prospective employers \u2014 in two major ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n First, we expand employment opportunities for people who are convicted of minor crimes by shortening when an employer can \u201clook back\u201d at old misdemeanor convictions.\u00a0 My legislation keeps the 7-year lookback period for felonies but reduces it to 4 years for misdemeanors. This aligns with research showing that if a person hasn\u2019t committed a new misdemeanor offense in that timeframe, they are unlikely to commit again, and no more likely to commit a crime that someone who has never been convicted.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n