BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES LONG-OVERDUE IMPLEMENTATION OF FAIR CHANCE ACT OF 2019

Fair Chance Act to Compete for Jobs Act, Signed Into Law by President Trump, “Bans the Box” for Federal Job Applications 

Announcement Comes as White House Celebrates Second Chance Month

JAN’s Inimai Chettiar: “We are thrilled to see the Biden Administration finally implementing this critical law.” 

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The White House Office of Personnel Management published guidance today to implement the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019, amid Second Chance month announcements. The announcement caps a three-year push by the Justice Action Network to expand federal employment opportunities for people with records. Justice Action Network was a key driver in the passage of the bill, and met with the Biden Administration to encourage prompt and broad implementation. 

The Fair Chance Act was spearheaded by the late Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), former Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA), and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), and a left-right coalition of advocacy groups, and signed into law in December of 2019 by former President Trump. The Fair Chance Act “bans the box” for federal job opportunities by delaying when federal agencies and federal contractors may inquire about criminal history records until a conditional offer of employment is extended to applicants.

The new guidance comes as the EQUAL Act, significant bipartisan sentencing reform legislation, continues to gather momentum and advocates hope for a federal criminal justice win before the midterms.  

In response to today’s announcement, Inimai Chettiar, Federal Director of the Justice Action Network, the country’s largest organization dedicated to bipartisan criminal justice reform at the federal and state levels, issued the following statement:  

“We are thrilled to see the Biden Administration finally implementing this critical law. At a time when we are experiencing shortages in the workforce, putting into practice the Fair Chance Act would benefit our federal government and give individuals with criminal records a second change to secure gainful employment,” said Inimai Chettiar. 

This guidance to ensure federal job applicants are judged first on their skills and qualifications is long overdue since the bill’s passage in 2019. We will continue to work with the Administration to ensure this law is fully and broadly implemented across all agencies, and carefully review the guidance language.”