Mississippi – Ban the Box

Last month, Mississippi lawmakers in the State Senate Labor Committee were considering the merits of a new statewide Ban the Box law. Despite the bill dying in the committee, a narrower Ban the Box bill has been introduced in its place. Senate Bill 2112, sponsored by State Senator Tammy Witherspoon, passed the Judiciary Committee on March 9, 2020. Next, the Ban the Box bill heads to the Mississippi State Senate.

Notably, this version of Ban the Box only applies to public employers. The proposed Ban the Box law exempts positions involving direct senior or children interaction, positions where the employer is required under law to obtain criminal history, and positions involving the practice of law.

Senator Witherspoon reports that support for Ban the Box is across the board. Even Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, a republican, supports the proposed law, declaring: “I go back to the Bible, let the first one who has not sinned cast the first stone.”

Should the act become law, it will take effect on July 1, 2020.

With the third-highest incarceration rate in the country, Ban the Box is crucially necessary for Mississippi. The state joins several others also considering Ban the Box laws, including New Hampshire and Iowa. BantheBox.net will continue tracking this important legislative proposal as it works its way to becoming law.

On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, formerly incarcerated Mississippians attempting to find work testified at the Mississippi Capitol during a State Senate Labor Committee hearing in favor of a statewide Ban the Box law. Presently, the Committee is considering the merits of a Ban the Box law, which would prohibit employers from inquiring about an applicant’s conviction history on job applications, or during the employment screening process until either the applicant is selected for an interview or after the employer makes a conditional employment offer.

Mississippi State Senator John Horhn, D-Jackson, the Committee chairperson, supports adopting a statewide Ban the Box law. On January 31, 2020, Senator Horhn introduced Mississippi Senate Bill 2233, which would enact statewide Ban the Box throughout Mississippi.

As presently drafted, the law exempts Department of Corrections positions, and other positions where the employer has a legal duty to inquire into an applicant’s conviction history.

Mississippi Ban the Box Law Constrained to Public Employers

Mississippi Considering a Ban the Box Law in 2020

Filled Out An Application Asking About Conviction History?

No criminal history questions are allowed on California employment applications.