Jun 20 2016 Can a Colorado Employer run a Credit Check as Part of a Background Check?
In Colorado The “Employment Opportunity Act” (SB13-018) specifies the purposes for which consumer credit information such as consumer credit reports and credit scores can be used by employers or potential employers in making employment-related decisions.
Specifically, the “Employment Opportunity Act”:
- Prohibits an employer’s use of consumer credit information for employment purposes if the information is unrelated to the job;
- Requires an employer to disclose to an employee or applicant for employment (jointly referred to as “employee”) when the employer uses the employee’s consumer credit information to take adverse action against him or her and the particular credit information upon which the employer relied;
- Authorizes an employee aggrieved by a violation of the above provisions to bring suit for an injunction, damages, or both; and
Requires the department of labor and employment to enforce the laws related to employer use of consumer credit information.
The “Employment Opportunity Act” defines employment purposes broadly to include “evaluating a person for employment, hiring, promotion, demotion, reassignment, adjustment in compensation level, or retention as an employee.” Two types of employers are permitted to use consumer credit information for employment purposes under the law: “banks or financial institutions” and employers “required by law” to conduct credit checks. The remaining employers may only review credit reports for “executive or management personnel” and positions that involve “contracts with defense, intelligence, national security, or space agencies of the federal government.”