What happened?

On August 1, 2024, the County Council of Prince George’s County, Maryland replaced the “Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards”, adding new restrictions to employers who use criminal record history for employment purposes.

What are the details?

Quick Bites:

• The county has revised and expanded these protections through the newly enacted Employment Fairness Act for Returning Citizens, CB-019-2024

• The threshold of application is now 10 or more employees that work full-time in the county (previously 25 employees)

• The law prohibits inquiring or considering at any time the following records: Convictions of non-violent felonies, Misdemeanors, arrest records, and marijuana and Cannabis offenses.

• Employers are prohibited from conducting background checks or investigations that do not conform to the restrictions of the ordinance.  

• Some definitions are added (arrest, Conviction, Sentence, Nonviolent Felony).

Business Considerations

• Employers should modify their hiring practices to align with the new Employment Fairness Act, including updating job applications, refining interview processes, and training HR staff to avoid making prohibited inquiries or considerations about an applicant’s criminal history.

Source References

• Prince George’s County CB-019-2024
• Prince George’s County, Maryland Ban the Box FAQs
• Prince George’s County Employment Fairness Act 2024: Key Updates For Employers (Forbes)
• Prince George County Expands “Ban the Box” Law With CB-019-2024 (JDP)

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