Mayor praises ‘ban the box’ bill

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake expressed support for a bill passed by the City Council on Monday that would prevent businesses from asking potential employees about criminal convictions before a conditional job offer is issued.

The bill, which was opposed by business entities such as the Greater Baltimore Committee, will now head to the mayor’s desk to be signed into law.

“Today’s passage of the ‘ban the box’ legislation is a critical component to not only helping to reduce unemployment, but also improving public safety by addressing recidivism. When it comes to the crime fight, we have to use every tool available, which includes creating opportunities for those who have paid their debt to society and want to turn their lives around,” Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. “Access to a good job can make the difference between a repeat offender or a productive member of society. I commend the council for working to resolve various issues raised throughout the process and ultimately passing this legislation that moves Baltimore in the right direction.”

Councilman Nick Mosby, the bill’s lead sponsor, said the bill sends a message to residents who have felt voiceless and disenfranchised from the economic growth in Baltimore that City Hall is fighting to give them a chance to benefit from that expansion.

“At the end of the day, it is critically important that we don’t develop this very counterproductive hiring process where folks who have had past transgressions five, 10, 15, 20 years ago that they have to carry this scarlet letter around with them for the rest of their lives,” Mosby said.

Law enforcement agencies and employers who work directly with children, seniors and mentally disabled adults are exempt from the legislation.