Proposed Ban the Box Rule for Federal Employment

In May 2016, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed to revise its regulations pertaining to when during the hiring process (unless an exception is granted) a hiring agency can request information typically collected during a background investigation from an applicant for federal employment.

OPM proposed this change to promote compliance with Merit System Principles as well as the goal of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council and the President’s Memorandum of January 31, 2014, Enhancing Safeguards to Prevent the Undue Denial of Federal Employment Opportunities to the Unemployed and Those Facing Financial Difficulty Through No Fault of Their Own.

According to OPM, the intended effect of this proposal was to better ensure that applicants from all segments of society, including those with prior criminal histories, receive a fair opportunity to compete for federal employment.

View the Federal Register notification