News

A class-action lawsuit filed in Virginia federal court against discount retail chain Dollar General for alleged violations of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) will be settled for $4 million. What Employers Must Learn From This Settlement: As an employer, Dollar General had various violations of...

The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act has strict guidelines in place to regulate background checks for pre-employment purposes. These guidelines are intended to protect an individual’s right to privacy. Disclosure and proper authorization must be obtained prior to a company issuing a background or credit...

In order to avoid legal actions, employers must ensure that their background check providers are in compliance with requirements stated in the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A recent class action lawsuit has been settled and tentatively approved by a Virginia court. Dollar General has been accused...

In light of the recent child pornography arrests across multiple states, Senator Charles Schumer of New York is calling for a more thorough screening of those inspaniduals who work with children. The recent child pornography case resulted in 70 arrests including inspaniduals who worked as a...

“Ban The Box” legislation prohibits employers from asking criminal history orally or on an initial employment application. Proponents believe that this provides a "second chance" for employment to those inspaniduals with a criminal record. The goal of this legislation is to defer criminal history inquiry until...

Background checks have become a standard practice when hiring within the corporate world. Universities and other higher learning institutions are initiating or enhancing the practice for faculty, staff and even students partly in light of the issues at Penn State involving former football coach, Jerry...

In the interest of child safety, school districts across the U.S. have required school all personnel to be fingerprinted. Massachusetts became the last state to mandate this type of investigation from all school districts when Governor Patrick signed H. 4307 on January 10,2013.Fingerprint information will...

A new bill being introduced in Washington State (House Bill 2545), would prevent employers from inquiring about non-conviction records on initial employment applications except in cases where the inspanidual is working with children. In the interest of fairness, many States, including Massachusetts and Minnesota have...

In 2010, the Government Accountability Office discovered hundreds of potential sex offenders working in schools throughout the United States. In response, the House of Representatives passed a bill in October 2013 (H.R. 2083) to adjust the hiring process and limit inconsistencies across the states.  ...

College Campus living has always been fraught with concerns. Students wonder whether they will be compatible with their roommates, have privacy, and adjust to an environment without parental controls. Parents rely on college administrators to alleviate their concerns for the safety and well being of...