City of St. Louis, Missouri to Ban the Box January 2021
Special Announcement to all City of St. Louis, MO employers:
The City of St. Louis, MO passed an ordinance (Board Bill# 120) that will prohibit employers from asking about criminal records from job applicants. The ordinance will be effective on 01/01/2021.
The law makes the following an unlawful practice:
- For an employer to base a hiring or promotional decision on a job applicant’s criminal history or sentence related thereto, unless the employer can demonstrate that the employment-related decision was based on all information available including consideration of the frequency, recentness and severity of a criminal record and that the record was reasonably related to or bears upon the duties and responsibilities of the job position; and
- For an employer to inquire about a job applicant’s criminal history until after it has been determined that the job applicant is otherwise qualified for the job position, and only after the job applicant has been interviewed for the job position provided; however, such an inquiry may be made of all job applicants who are in the final selection pool from which the job position will be filled
There are some exceptions enumerated in the ordinance.
This law will require a review of the hiring process in place, including any documentation or forms that all applicants must complete, and may require changes to that process.
Justifacts recommends that you consult with your legal department to determine what changes, if any, need to be made to your hiring process in order to comply with this law.
The complete text of the legislation can be found here: Board Bill #120
It is important to note that Justifacts is providing this information as a service to our clients. None of the information contained herein should be construed as legal advice, nor is Justifacts engaged to provide legal advice. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult your attorney or legal department if you want assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.