On June 10, 2015, the New York City Council approved a new law prohibiting public and private sector employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s criminal record history before making a conditional offer of employment. The new law, dubbed the “Fair Chance Act,” adds New York City to a growing list of state and local jurisdictions with bans against employers’ inquiries into prospective employees’ arrest and conviction records.
On a state-wide level, New York State had already prohibited employers from rejecting a job applicant on account of his or her conviction history unless the conviction related to the applicant’s fitness to perform the job or suggested an unreasonable risk to property or public safety.
