The Baltimore City Council wants to eliminate background checks for job applicants who have felony arrest records but were not convicted.
Council Member Sharon Green Middleton is expected to introduce a bill today that would prevent the city from using arrest records to bar people from city employment. The bill seeks to help only those who have been arrested but never convicted, said Shaun Adamec, spokesman for City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
“Right now, if somebody applies for a city position, they have to do a background check even if they been only arrested but not charged,” he said.
Adamec said the bill is necessary because thousands of city residents were arrested but released without charges.
“Clearly it?s a constituent issue,” he said. “A lot of people were caught up in the zero-tolerance policies who were never charged.”
The law would prevent the city from “making inquiries” about “arrests or accusations” and doing criminal background checks in “certain” circumstances.
Middleton, who represents the 6th District, could not be reached for comment. Adamec said Rawlings-Blake supports the bill.
