[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 644 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 644

Expressing support for the designation of April 1, 2024, through April 
                30, 2024, as ``Fair Chance Jobs Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 16, 2024

Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Butler, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Welch) 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, 2024, through April 
                30, 2024, 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, 2024, 
        through April 30, 2024, 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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