Applicants won’t be asked about their criminal history when applying for state jobs and licenses.
On applications for state licenses, applicants had to check a “yes” or “no” box when asked if they’ve been convicted of a felony.
Governor Rick Snyder signed an executive order Friday removing the question from those applications. There are over 200 jobs that require a state license to fill, like construction or real estate licenses.
By Oct. 1, the question will be removed from applications for all state jobs. Snyder’s office says they hope the private sector will remove barriers to jobs for felons.
Snyder’s Press Secretary Anna Heaton says the biggest obstacle to rehabilitation for convicted felons is unemployment.
“In prison, people are trained for these jobs, they learn how to do a budget and a resume, but they’re still often not able to be accepted into the workforce,” Heaton says.
Background checks will still be conducted, but applicants won’t have to reveal any criminal background on the application itself.
Heaton says that by removing the question, applicants may get further along in the application process.
Applications for certain jobs and licenses, like child care and real estate, will still have questions about relevant felony convictions. For example, an application for a child care position may ask about any convictions of child abuse.
Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy says Snyder’s executive order is a step in the right direction. However, he says the state should remove questions about felony convictions from more license and job applications.
“There are still a lot of jobs that the legislature has made it so that if you have a criminal record you just can’t go out and work in,” Skorup said. “We would love to put this into state law to open up these opportunities for people.”
