[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 189 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 189
Expressing support for the designation of April 1, 2025, through April
30, 2025, as ``Fair Chance Jobs Month''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 30, 2025
Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Booker, Mr. Durbin, Ms.
Duckworth, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Kim)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the designation of April 1, 2025, through April
30, 2025, as ``Fair Chance Jobs Month''.
Whereas, in the United States--
(1) nearly 80,000,000 people have a record of arrest or conviction;
(2) an estimated 19,000,000 people have felony convictions;
(3) nearly 13,000,000 people are charged each year with misdemeanor
offenses;
(4) 600,000 people are released each year from Federal and State
prisons;
(5) Black, Indigenous, and Latino people are 5, 4.2, and 2.4 times more
likely than White people to be incarcerated, respectively, and also face
higher rates of arrest; and
(6) LGBTQ+ individuals are 3 times more likely to be incarcerated and
also face higher rates of arrest;
Whereas people who have been convicted of a crime and served their sentence
continue to face consequences after release due to systemic biases and
stigmas against formerly incarcerated individuals;
Whereas recidivism rates in the United States are among the highest in the
world, with almost 44 percent of people who are released returning to
incarceration within 1 year;
Whereas, in the United States, nearly \2/3\ of the formerly incarcerated
population is jobless at any given time;
Whereas, in the United States, nearly 14,000 laws and regulations and 48,000
collateral consequences restrict formerly incarcerated individuals from
getting professional licenses needed to work in some jobs;
Whereas 20 States and the District of Columbia allow occupational licensing
boards to categorically reject applicants with prior convictions;
Whereas obstacles to employment, such as difficulty obtaining identification
needed for employment, add undue burdens on returning citizens and
formerly incarcerated individuals;
Whereas formerly incarcerated individuals earn nearly $100 less per week than
the average worker;
Whereas fair-chance employers can leverage financial incentives, such as the
work opportunity tax credit, to benefit from hiring formerly
incarcerated individuals;
Whereas employing returning citizens and formerly incarcerated individuals will
result in a robust, vibrant, diverse, and resilient workforce;
Whereas having jobs that pay living wages, are conducive to health, provide
opportunities for skillset development, provide opportunities for
promotion, and provide benefits will facilitate stable employment and
reduce recidivism;
Whereas returning citizens who have received vocational training while
incarcerated are 28 percent more likely to obtain employment within 1
year of reentry into society than those lacking such training; and
Whereas, in addition to employment insecurity, returning citizens and formerly
incarcerated people face numerous other obstacles to reentry and
societal reintegration, including--
(1) housing insecurity and homelessness rates that are 10 times higher
than the general public;
(2) near total restrictions in 12 States on access to temporary
assistance for needy families established under part A of title IV of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or the supplemental nutrition
assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); and
(3) greater prevalence of chronic health conditions, lower quality and
coverage of health insurance, and mortality rates that are 13 times higher
than the general public: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses support for the designation of April 1, 2025,
through April 30, 2025, as ``Fair Chance Jobs Month''; and
(2) supports efforts to--
(A) ensure that people directly impacted by
incarceration obtain stable and high-quality
employment, housing, healthcare, and nutrition;
(B) dismantle structural barriers to fair-chance
hiring and employment, such as licensing restrictions,
employer liability, and insurance restrictions;
(C) expand workforce development programs for
returning citizens, formerly incarcerated individuals,
and others directly impacted by incarceration,
including--
(i) pre-apprenticeship programs;
(ii) registered apprenticeship programs;
(iii) career coaching, resume-building,
technology literacy, and other skillset
development programs; and
(iv) programs that educate employers on
best practices for, and the benefits of, fair-
chance hiring;
(D) match jobs providers with returning citizens
and formerly incarcerated individuals seeking jobs;
(E) support efforts from labor unions and worker
organizations to engage returning citizens and formerly
incarcerated individuals who are seeking jobs;
(F) publicize work opportunities that are open to
applicants with prior arrest or conviction records; and
(G) foster greater collaboration and dialogue
between Federal, State, and local government agencies,
community-based organizations, advocacy groups,
employers, labor unions, currently and formerly
incarcerated individuals, and others directly impacted
by incarceration to enhance fair-chance hiring and
employment and help to heal communities impacted by
mass incarceration.
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