States may ban credit checks on job applicants

[March 02, 2010]  ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- It's hard to find a job in this economy, and now some people are facing another hurdle because potential employers are holding their credit histories against them.

Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management say they run credit checks on at least some job applicants. That's compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006.

Employers say such checks give them valuable information about an applicant's honesty and sense of responsibility.

But lawmakers in at least 16 states from South Carolina to Oregon are considering outlawing most of them, saying they trap people in debt because their past financial problems prevent them from finding work.

State legislators in the following states have proposed bills to ban credit checks on most job applicants, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures:

• Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Wisconsin

States that already ban credit checks on most job applicants:

• Hawaii and Washington

[Associated Press; By KATHLEEN MILLER]

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