Governor J.B. Pritzker is making an effort to ensure Illinoisans with criminal records have a better chance at finding employment.
The Illinois Governor has signed into law an amendment to the Health Care Worker Background Check Act, which provides an expedited process for applicants with arrest or conviction records seek a waiver to work in the healthcare industry.
The previous hiring process would conduct a background check once the prospective healthcare employer made a conditional offer of employment. If the background check uncovered a conviction for certain offenses, the conditional offer could be terminated unless the applicant obtained a statutory waiver.
But, the new amendment, effective as of July 31, 2019, would allow “workforce intermediaries” like a job training program and pro bono legal service organizations to initiate a background check on behalf of an applicant before any conditional offer of employment was made. This would then allow the applicant to seek a waiver without having to wait for the healthcare employer.
