Bill Limiting Employee Background Checks Waits House Action

04.11.2017
Issues & Policies

A bill limiting employers’ ability to screen employees who have access to non-financial assets continues to sit on the House calendar—despite receiving no support at a public hearing.
HB 6519 represents another uncalled for and unnecessary restriction on the hiring process.
Currently, businesses other than financial institutions can request a credit history check on employees who have access to at least $2,500 worth of an employer’s non-financial assets.
This allows businesses, such as jewelry or antique stores—even museums with valuable art pieces—to thoroughly screen the people they hire.
It’s a legitimate tool, particularly for small businesses lacking the resources to do exhaustive screenings.
The bill, which has been raised several times in the past, has historically been opposed by various business organizations.
In fact, no one testified in support of the proposal before the General Assembly’s Banking Committee this year.

Lawmakers shouldn’t increase the costs and risks of doing business by removing a legitimate employee screening tool.

This may be partially due to the fact that the underlying law is barely six years old.
The current law, passed in 2011, was the result of a negotiation between the business community and the same primary sponsor of this year's bill.

At that time, the business community made concessions to maintain the right to conduct credit history checks on individuals in certain circumstances.

Since then, the same lawmaker who negotiated the 2011 bill has attempted to prevent employers from using credit histories to screen workers with access to their most valuable merchandise or equipment.

Connecticut is already an expensive place to  operate a business.
Lawmakers shouldn’t increase the costs and risks of doing business here by removing a legitimate employee screening tool—particularly one that could help protect an employer from theft.

Despite the lack of support expressed at the public hearing, HB 6519 made it out of committee—largely on party lines.

CBIA will continue to oppose the bill.


For more information, contact CBIA’s Eric Gjede (860.480.1784) | @egjede

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