Ohio, Oregon Adopt Ban the Box Policies: Employment Law Manual and Quick Reference Chart Updated

Authors: David B. Weisenfeld, Melissa A. Silver and Beth P. Zoller, XpertHR Legal Editors

Ohio and Oregon have each taken steps to prohibit criminal history questions on initial job applications. Ohio has adopted a state policy to remove criminal history inquiries from state job applications. It represents a voluntary policy shift rather than a law or executive order.

Oregon has enacted a law that goes further in that it also will ban criminal history questions from job applications, and will apply to private as well as public employers subject to limited exemptions. In addition, if no job interview is conducted, the Oregon law will bar employers from requiring an applicant to disclose a criminal conviction until a conditional job offer has been made.

The following state Employment Law Manual sections have been updated to reflect these developments:

The Ban the Box Laws by State and Municipality Quick Reference Chart also has been updated.