Author: Reyes
Securing employment is a crucial step in keeping people from going back to prison. However, about 30 percent of all jobs require professional licenses, which are usually granted by state boards. AB 2293 was part of a bill package that would have prohibited these boards from using arrest or conviction records as the only basis to deny professional licenses to applicants with nonviolent criminal arrests or convictions. It would have prohibited denial of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification based on an individual’s criminal record. The bill was significantly amended to focus exclusively on mandating new reporting on EMT certification applicants including the demographic and criminal conviction history of applicants that were approved and denied certification.