7am News, Sports and Obits
Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download
Click for Galesburg, Illinois Forecast
Home - Cancellations - Community Events - Contact Us - Mornings - News - Obituaries - Pictures - Programs - Special Events Audio - Sports - Weather
Legislation Would Ban Credit Checks for Jobs
People need jobs and their credit scores shouldn't prevent them from being hired. That is the argument for a bill sponsored by State Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). Harmon's legislation would make it illegal for an employer to check the credit score of potential employees.

Harmon says many people lost their jobs during the recession and in many cases, that affected a person's credit history. He says they should not be punished because a bad credit score would disqualify them from a job. Harmon says employers cannot discriminate based on race or sex, and a credit score shouldn't be any different.

State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) disagrees. He believes employers should have the privilege to decide if it is necessary to see a person's credit score or not. Under current law, credit bureaus will release credit reports to prospective employers only if the applicant consents, but individuals applying for jobs are in no position to withhold consent.

The bill does allow for some exemptions, such as for employees who handle $2,500 of cash or products without supervision.

H.B. 4658 passed the Senate 41-12. It now heads to the governor's desk.

(Illinois Radio Network)
05 05 10 by Newsroom
News management powered by Xpression News

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.