HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2017.09.06 - 23108MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION#17260
BY: Commissioner Nancy Quarles, District #17
IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — S PORT OF "BAN-THE-BOX" INITIATIVE AND THE
REMOVAL OF THE INQUIRY INTO PRIOR CRIMINAL HISTORY FROM OAKLAND COUNTY
EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS
To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Chairperson, Ladies, and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS all citizens should have the opportunity to have productive and useful lives; and
WHEREAS individuals with criminal conviction have a more difficult time obtaining employment due to the
reluctance of employers to hire these individuals; and
WHEREAS more than 70 million Americans with criminal backgrounds face significant barriers to
employment as a direct result of an arrest or criminal conviction as they are often overlooked by potential
employers without consideration of their skills or qualifications; and
WHEREAS formerly convicted offenders need a successful re-entry into society; and
WHEREAS numerous national, state and local studies have found that for re-entry to be successful the
removal of obstacles to employment and/or other legal income producing opportunities must be a priority;
and
WHEREAS removing the inquiry into prior criminal history from the county's application for employment
may reduce the introduction of bias into the hiring process; and
WHEREAS an initiative entitled "Ban-the-Box" is being promulgated nationally to address the stigma
associated with the label "felony" or "formerly convicted offender" in the employment consideration
processes; and
WHEREAS this initiative recommends the removal of such inquiry from the written application for
opportunities unless required by local, state or federal statue; and
WHEREAS this initiative does not remove the criminal inquiry or criminal background check in its entirety
but places such inquiry in its proper place of consideration, that being the "fit-for-duty" check; and
WHEREAS this type of reform may save American taxpayer dollars while restoring liberty and justice to
this often marginalized population; and
WHEREAS Oakland County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and supports fair hiring practices; and
WHEREAS Oakland County recognizes that many employment applications contain a box to be checked
by the applicant admitting to the conviction of a felony; and
WHEREAS many persons convicted of a felony have rehabilitated themselves and this is acknowledged
by Oakland County, as well as many have gone forward living useful and productive lives; and
WHEREAS by moving the criminal history inquiry to the conditional offer stage of the hiring process,
Oakland County can help formerly incarcerated Americans seeking' jobs; and
WHEREAS the Oakland County Board of Commissioners desire to afford its citizens every opportunity
possible to successfully compete for employment and lawful income producing opportunities absent both
intentional and unintentional prejudices; and
WHEREAS Oakland County, as an employer, can set an example for other employers in the county by
removing the inquiry into prior criminal history from its application for employment to engage in fair
employment practices with respect to individuals with criminal records when hiring.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby
supports the Ban-the-Box initiative to give all employment applicants the opportunity for fair and equal
employment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby desires the
removal of the inquiry into prior criminal history from its employment application unless required by local,
state or federal statute.
Chairperson, I move the adoption of tile foregoing resolution.
/4_6,4:77216;frioup,tsL
Commi sio
District*
Commissioner
District
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District
Commissioner
District I*
Commissioner
District
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District
Commissioner
District
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District*
Commissioner
District it
Commission
District* io
Commissioneir.
District
Commissioner
District* I g
Resolution #17260 September 6, 2017
The Vice Chairperson referred the resolution to the Human Resources Committee. There were no
objections.