As Hire Image reported, private employers with at least 15 employees in Waterloo, Iowa have been subject to a ban the box law since July 1, 2020, prohibiting them from:

• asking an applicant about criminal history until after a conditional offer of employment has been made,
• considering an applicant’s criminal history in their hiring decisions,
• rejecting a candidate with a criminal record absent a legitimate business reason.

That law has been challenged since then, and on June 18, 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court, while upholding a portion of it in that employers must wait until after a conditional offer to inquire about a candidate’s criminal history, struck down restrictions on what types of information could warrant an adverse employment action. That is, the court invalidated the section that prohibits employers from making decisions solely based on an applicants’ criminal record.

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For more information on Ban the Box and other laws, and whether they affect your state, visit our resource guide at the Hire Image Resource Library.