Demos Pres. Miles Rapoport Applauds Connecticut Legislators for Passage of Bill Banning Discriminatory Credit Checks in Hiring

New York – Today, Demos, a national public policy research and advocacy center that supports fair employment practices, congratulates the Connecticut General Assembly for passing legislation that prohibits employers from using credit reports in employment decisions except in certain circumstances. Demos commends Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, House Speaker Christopher Donovan and Representative Matthew Lesser for their leadership on this issue.  Connecticut is sixth in a growing number of states to ban employment credit checks.

“Connecticut has taken a powerful step to stop the inequitable practice of screening employees and potential employees based on their credit histories. Demos’ research shows that there is no credible evidence that negative credit reports correlate to job performance. I congratulate Connecticut on increasing job opportunities for workers that had been unfairly shut out of employment,” said Miles Rapoport, President of Demos and former Connecticut Secretary of the State.
 
“Although this is a great victory for workers in Connecticut, it’s unfortunate that the credit reporting industry succeeded in lobbying for exemptions for certain categories of employees in this legislation. There’s no justification for these carve outs.  I look forward to working with Representative Lesser and other advocates in Connecticut to strengthen the legislation. In the meantime, I call on Governor Malloy to sign the bill quickly. Other states should follow suit and ban employment-related credit screening.”

For more information on the employment use of credit screening visit www.demos.org. To schedule an interview, see contact information.

###