Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Rell vetoes bill restricting criminal background checks in hiring for state jobs

  • by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
  • June 9, 2010
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has vetoed a bill that would have barred state hiring managers from asking applicants their criminal background or researching their background until the last step of the hiring process.

Current law allows the question, “have you ever been convicted of a felony” to appear on the application for both private and state jobs; this bill would have only affected the state employment process. Employers are not allowed to discriminate based on an applicant’s checking “yes,” but advocates say it’s hard to determine if that rule is being broken.

In Rell’s veto message, she says current law is sufficient.

“Applicants are already protected by statutory provisions which prohibit the denial of employment solely based on a conviction,” Rell said, adding there is no evidence managers are inappropriately using the information in their hiring decisions.

The state’s workforce is composed of 55,000 employees across more than two dozens agencies, and Rell said, having “a one size fits all [hiring] approach to all state positions is unworkable.”

The bill was passed unanimously by the General Assembly last month. Derek Slap, spokesman for the Senate Democrats, said there is a  “solid chance” of it being brought up for an override in a veto session Jun. 21.

A Better Way Foundation estimates there are 200,000 Connecticut felons, and says the bill would have opened state jobs to those residents.

“The point of this legislation was to remove the question so everyone had a fair chance to get these jobs,” said LaResse Harvey, policy director for Better Way.

For certain state positions, including for law enforcement agencies and the Department of Children and Family, questions about criminal history would still have been allowed on the application.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Why an epidemiologist thinks Connecticut has its COVID vaccine priorities backwards
by Kasturi Pananjady

By rolling out COVID vaccine through an age-based process, the state will effectively de-prioritize younger adults with co-morbidities.

Connecticut has to stop phoning in evictions
by Nathan Leys, Darren Pruslow, Shelley White and Sally Zanger

In early October, a woman sent a desperate fax to the housing court handling her case. “I’ve been trying to reach someone since 9/29/20 calling daily. I had a remote hearing scheduled for 10/1/20 I signed up for teams [the Judicial Branch’s remote courtroom software] and was unable to figure out how to find my case. I tried emailing the 2 names at the bottom of my notice for instructions, but the email came back not delivered.” She was too late. At her hearing four days before, the judge had already entered judgment against her.

CT elected officials choosing politics over Danbury students
by The L.E.A.D. Executive Board

Last month in his executive budget, Gov. Ned Lamont proposed funding for an Open Choice Program that would bus 50 elementary school children out of Danbury to receive an education. At the same time, he excluded Danbury Prospect Charter School from his budget. This decision was a severe disappointment to all who have fought hard to bring the charter school to Danbury. What’s worse, it clearly signals the intentions of the Danbury Democratic delegation: to ignore the demands of Black and brown constituents who have spent years advocating for Danbury Prospect.

Will electricity provide the promised fix?
by Robert Orr

Our new president speaks passionately about how carbon-free electricity will fix climate change. But will it? For sure, this past year dropped a sledgehammer of awareness for an environmental fragility that heretofore escaped our attention. Repeated hurricanes, tornados, droughts, fires, and the alarming outcomes of virus(es) rivet our attention. Something’s not right. Of course, they’re […]

Facts, not fear, should guide Connecticut’s cannabis future
by Paul Armentano

Here’s an important fact. Some two-thirds of Americans – including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans – say that the adult use of marijuana ought to be legal. That’s according to nationwide surveys by Gallup, Pew, and other respected pollsters. In Connecticut, 63 percent of residents “support the legalization of recreational marijuana,” according to polling data compiled by Sacred Heart University and the Hartford Courant.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Connecticut has to stop phoning in evictions
by Nathan Leys, Darren Pruslow, Shelley White and Sally Zanger

In early October, a woman sent a desperate fax to the housing court handling her case. “I’ve been trying to reach someone since 9/29/20 calling daily. I had a remote hearing scheduled for 10/1/20 I signed up for teams [the Judicial Branch’s remote courtroom software] and was unable to figure out how to find my case. I tried emailing the 2 names at the bottom of my notice for instructions, but the email came back not delivered.” She was too late. At her hearing four days before, the judge had already entered judgment against her.

Opinion CT elected officials choosing politics over Danbury students
by The L.E.A.D. Executive Board

Last month in his executive budget, Gov. Ned Lamont proposed funding for an Open Choice Program that would bus 50 elementary school children out of Danbury to receive an education. At the same time, he excluded Danbury Prospect Charter School from his budget. This decision was a severe disappointment to all who have fought hard to bring the charter school to Danbury. What’s worse, it clearly signals the intentions of the Danbury Democratic delegation: to ignore the demands of Black and brown constituents who have spent years advocating for Danbury Prospect.

Opinion Will electricity provide the promised fix?
by Robert Orr

Our new president speaks passionately about how carbon-free electricity will fix climate change. But will it? For sure, this past year dropped a sledgehammer of awareness for an environmental fragility that heretofore escaped our attention. Repeated hurricanes, tornados, droughts, fires, and the alarming outcomes of virus(es) rivet our attention. Something’s not right. Of course, they’re […]

Opinion Facts, not fear, should guide Connecticut’s cannabis future
by Paul Armentano

Here’s an important fact. Some two-thirds of Americans – including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans – say that the adult use of marijuana ought to be legal. That’s according to nationwide surveys by Gallup, Pew, and other respected pollsters. In Connecticut, 63 percent of residents “support the legalization of recreational marijuana,” according to polling data compiled by Sacred Heart University and the Hartford Courant.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO