LANSING — On Friday, Gov. Rick Snyder took executive action to “ban the box” on state government job applications that ask job seekers if they have been convicted of a felony. In October 2017, state Rep. Fred Durhal III (D-Detroit) introduced House Bill 5067, which would require all employers across the state to remove the felony question from initial job applications, but the legislation has yet to receive a hearing. In response to Gov. Snyder’s announcement, Rep. Durhal issued the following statement:
“I am glad Gov. Snyder has taken this step to give returning citizens a second chance as they re-enter society. Providing these individuals the opportunity to secure a job is critical to ending the recidivism cycle that occurs when people feel that they have no other options. This is an important first step to helping reform our criminal justice system, and I hope my Republican colleagues will follow the governor’s lead and join me now in this fight by taking up my legislation to ban the box for all employers across the state.”
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